Diabolus Vulpes
by The-Writing-Dragon
Summary: In the world of Sanctimonia, the noble Famulus keep watch over the innocent, fighting against a force of evil warlocks. The feared and respected Prower family is among the most powerful of the sorcerers, and the next heir is...not as promising as hoped.
1. The Warlock's Child

**Hello, hello, one and all. I'm sorry for my rather lengthy absence; I kinda lost interest for a bit given how much more complex it is over here than Deviantart. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the swing of things over here.**

**Diabolus Vulpes is my most recent story, an AU fanfiction; don't be too overwhelmed though, as only two characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series are even going to appear in this story. This story's got a noticeably more...dark and sinister tone to it, if not because the main protagonist is actually a villain. That aside...I'll rate it T up until more questionable content comes up, at which point I'll bump it up to M. Also, be warned, yaoi will be appearing.**

Sanctimonia; a mostly grassland-dominated area, a few towns and villages here and there, maybe a mountain, cave, forest, or river here and there. Those who live here are in harmony, happily going about their business in a carefree manner. This peace and security can be attributed to the Famulus, a religious faction that help keep peace and order in the area. Their soldiers can be seen occasionally marching about, their officials overseeing weddings or church gatherings, or generally aiding others in their every day lives. One could say things were almost "perfect" there.

But if things were so perfect, why the need for soldiers on patrol? Not many knew...and those that did were quite afraid of the reason emerging fully. The source of their worry was found further east, where the grass began to take on a more sickly, lighter hue, or die completely. Trees lost their leaves and became gnarled and skeletal. Rivers became tainted and impure. The beasts around here mutated into evil beings, much more dangerous than normal. But the most dangerous aspect resided in a massive castle hanging above a volcanic pit, surrounded on the outside of the rim by a dark, sinister town.

Here, practitioners of black magic resided. The castle was their training place, an "academy" of sorts, who would raise the most skilled of warlocks to become their most dangerous soldiers. This was the reason the Famulus was established in the first place...to ensure that these black magic users didn't turn the entire planet into the region they now resided in. But even the most well-meaning of forces have a limit to their power.

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 1-The Sorcerer's Child

The sound of clanking drinks and discussion echoed throughout the room, many figures standing about and conversing. Most were dressed in dark attire, ranging from exquisite robes and dresses, to tuxedos and other surprisingly fancy attire. Those that weren't dressed were, in overall lappearance, already much more different than their companions; occasionally having a twisted or demonic appearance. Despite these monstrous appearances, they seemed to remain in as much courtesy and civility as the others.

The interior also contradicted the sickly outside, red carpets stretching through the building. On most of the walls hung portraits, either of other figures (almost all of them featuring an anthropomorphic fox of some sort), or a rather morbid or dark scene. Further into the building, in the largest room, was a figure wearing a pitch-black cloak and hood to cover their face, currently playing a piano while several others conversed. Several of them were gathered around another figure; an orange fox much like the ones seen on the portraits, wearing a fancy dark blue robe and an eyepatch over his left eye, underneath a tuft of brown hair protruding from his head.

"...and that would be how we managed to bring down the Great Templar. Quite an impressive feat, if I say so myself," the fox remarked with a light chuckle, earning some impressed murmurs from those gathered around him.

"Well, all of the rumors about the great warlock Amadeus seem to be quite true," one of the patrons remarked, glancing at the fox with a slight smile. "Surely, your legacy will serve as inspiration for many generations to come!"

The fox, Amadeus, simply chuckled again, arms folded in the pockets of his robe. "While that's certainly a prestigious honor...I have to say, if anything I hope for my legacy to be passed on to my son. He's shown a lot of promise."

Some more murmurs from the crowd, as another patron remarked, "Most certainly; as your own flesh and blood, he'll most CERTAINLY be just as skilled as you, if not even more so!"

"I certainly expect as much from him," Amadeus replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I forget if it was mentioned prior...but he plans to summon his demon partner tonight."

The patrons seemed to become even more surprised, looking at each other. "But he's merely a child, barely at the end of his toddler years! Are you sure he can do it?"

Amadeus smiled again, lowering his gaze slightly and swishing around the glass of wine in his hand. "I have the utmost faith in my child, don't you worry."

Some more discussion among the patrons, interrupted by the light sound of feet on floor, and they turned to the source. From a nearby doorway, a rather small figure emerged; another fox, not dissimilar to Amadeus, though he seemed much younger, probably at least five. He wore a dark red robe, from behind which not one, but two fluffy tails stuck outwards. He hopped to a halt, allowing his red and white sneakers to be seen underneath, before looking around and taking notice of Amadeus. A smile emerged on the kit's face. "Daddy!"

He bounded over energetically, the older fox chuckling. "Miles, there you are. I was getting worried you wouldn't come down for your own birthday party."

The kit shook his head as Amadeus pat him on the head. "Nope! Today I'm gonna summon my own demon partner, I want everyone to see it! 'Specially you, Daddy!"

Another chuckle from Amadeus, and he turned to the crowd. He raised his hand into the air, and with a flick of the wrist, seemed to darken the room. Everyone turned to him, the older fox announcing, "Everyone...our boy of the hour has arrived."

A faint light seemed to fall on the small boy, Miles, who blushed brightly upon noticing all of the eyes falling on him. Some light clapping went on around the room, Amadeus looking down at his son with a smile. "Now then...do you think you're ready to show everyone here what you can do?"

The kit blinked for a moment, then looked up at his father once again, returning the smile. "O-of course, definitely!"

"In that case...let's begin." Amadeus lifted his hand once again, causing a light to begin forming in the middle of the room. The patrons quickly stepped out of the way, allowing a large, circular formation to be seen encompassing most of the floor. Despite this, the piano player continued with his tune, which seemed to have become all the more haunting. "Miles...you may begin."

A nod from the kit, who stepped towards the circle. Amadeus followed, setting down a slight tray with a few tools on it. Miles proceeded to pull from the tray a bowl with a murky, powdery substance inside, and a dagger. He proceeded to put the dagger to his hand and made a slight incision into his palm, allowing for blood to form and be dripped into the bowl. A faint mist seemed to collect from where the blood was dropped, and Miles began stirring the powder around with a wooden spoon. Once this was done, he proceeded to toss the contents of the bowl towards the middle of the circle, causing the light to glow even brighter.

Miles finally dropped to his knees, running one finger over his bloodied wound and then placing the hand on the ground at the edge of the circle. With the other, he began tracing a design in a blank circle in the circular design right in front of him, beginning to mumble something lowly. "Ex cruor of vinco est fictum vernula..."

The circle seemed to get even brighter, a low humming heard throughout the room. "They vadum exsisto forever iunctus per vita donatus per vinco, quod a donum of vox ex everto senior..." Some faint streaks of lightning, colored a deep violet, crackled across the circle, the humming and light intensifying. As if to accentuate the mood, the piano player seemed to begin playing a much grander tune, louder and more noticeable than before.

"Per illa duos pieces of animus, vernula ero donatus vox. Per idem eadem idem pieces they ero forever sub to order of cruor datum. Per idem eadem idem pieces they mos wield vox of barathrum ut dictum per everto senior animus sedeo in lemma."

More lightning and rumbling, the lights that were still on beginning to flicker and wane; despite this, those collected in the room weren't panicked in the least, instead staring ahead with intrigued glances. "Chaos ero wrought qua iugum vado, Abyssus ero left in suum excito. A vomica super quicumque obviam ire lemma, quod an inaestimandus tool ut everto senior sui; ut repayment pro animus fragminis tribuo, utriusque es forever in suus utor."

The light finally snapped off, Amadeus smiling as the dust previously scattered seemed to begin swirling about, funneled into the epicenter of the circle. "Ego dico super thee, vox of ianus, copiae copie of atrum chaotic duco of everto regnum..." The fox child looked up slightly, his innocent expression betraying the rather malevolent and morbid chant he was uttering. "...addo ut mihi , vernula..."

The lightning intensified, crackling all throughout the room as the light intensified even brighter, forcing some of the patrons to look away; like before, the piano player was unperturbed, instead making his playing much more powerful and rapid. "...bring the servant to me, I command you!"

An even brighter flash of light, bolts of dark energy streaming into the epicenter of the circular marking and forcing everyone to look away; even Miles cringed slightly from the sheer force being exerted. The windows along the outside of the walls seemed to creak slightly, the piano player's song increasing in momentum, unaffected by the immense force being released. Finally, the song seemed to reach a rather climactic ending, the lightning coming to a halt and the light slowly beginning to fade. A few stray bolts of lightning streaked across the room before fizzling out, everyone turning back to the light to be able to see what was in the middle.

Instead of the pile of dust, a new figure sat; it was almost as tiny as Miles, an unclothed, white-furred figure with stubby arms and legs. A pair of long, pointed ears hung down the sides of his face, contradicting the ling, slim, serpent-like tail that protruded from behind him. All of the patrons exchanged comments with curious tones, Miles quickly staggering to his feet and approaching the figure.

"Wh-...where..." the small figure murmured in a light, shaky voice, its body swaying slightly.

Miles finally stepped in front of the figure with wide eyes. "My...my demon partner..." The white-furred creature very slowly looked up, allowing the kit to look at his pale golden eyes. Miles finally smiled. "You're actually pretty cute."

"Cu-...te..." the "demon" seemed to echo, looking up again slightly. "Who...are you...?"

The kit smiled again, then held out his hand. "My name's Miles, and I'm your master! You can also call me Tails if ya like. What's your name?"

The demon looked at the outstretched hand, then up at the fox boy, and gingerly extended his own paw, setting it in the fox's palm. "My...name..." The creature blinked again, the color seemingly beginning to come to its eyes after touching his master's slightly bloody hand. "My name...is...Raiu..."

**-8 years later-**

"Spellbook...check...emblem...check...ceremonial dagger...check...demon partner..."

The now teenage fox looked up from his sack, turning around and causing his twin tails to sweep along the ground. No one was in the decorative, gray room but him. "Raiu! Where are you?"

A low groaning was heard from a different spot in the room, prompting the fox to glance towards it; a somewhat small bed on the other side of the room, the crimson covers shifting about slightly and allowing a white furred, seemingly draconic head to poke out, a pair of long, pointy ears lopping up afterwards. The figure, apparently Raiu, sleepily rubbed his eyes, and mumbled lowly, "S-sorry, overslept..."

The fox placed his hands on his hips with an unimpressed glance, lightly brushing at his dark red robe. "Fortunately, we've still got about an hour or so before we're considered late, so please, hurry up and get ready."

Another slight groan from Raiu, who literally crawled out of bed on all fours. His very lanky, unclothed form mades its way lithely towards the nearby door, stepping inside for a few moments as the fox continued to pack his things. Finally, he stepped out, now wearing a rather small, black vest that only came down to the bottom of his chest, leaving his belly and a little more than half of his back completely exposed. A similarly colored and equally as revealing pair of shorts were also added, showing off a fair bit of thigh. A red collar with a golden-colored medallion around his neck finished off the set. The fox glanced at him slightly. "If you were trying to dress as immodestly as possible, you surely succeeded."

"But it's more comfortable like this, Tails," the figure responded, stepping towards the fox and peeking down at the bag as he closed it. "It decreases wind resistance and reduces sound."

"Yes, yes, I know," the fox, Tails, responded, slinging the pack over his shoulder. "I didn't say it was a BAD thing."

Raiu tilted his head to one side. "Then...what WERE you saying?"

"I'm simply saying that if your goal was to dress as immodestly as possible, then you succeeded," the fox repeated as-a-matter-of-factly, both walking through the deceptively large building and entering a somewhat large front hall.

"But that kinda sounded like a negative comment," Raiu responded, passing by two figures in tuxedos, each carrying what looked to be a somewhat large metallic box. Tails and Raiu both took a hold of one, as two more stepped forward with a small basket of what looked to be rolls of bread.

"Nah. Just a statement," Tails responded, accepting the basket as they walked out of the building, into the rather gray and colorless street in front of them. The ground was gray, as were many of the buildings around them. Several people went by, either dressed in a bland or dark colored robe or similar clothing, or having slightly more monstrous appearances; the difference in the warlocks and their demon servants was as plain as their appearances. At least, most of them were.

"If you say so," Raiu mumbled blankly, Tails taking a roll form the basket and biting into it. The fox then held the basket back to Raiu, who began ravenously taking several of them into his mouth at a time before chewing and swallowing, during which time Tails snagged another one to eat.

After several minutes of walking, the duo arrived at a somewhat large stairwell, stepping up to the top and bringing them onto a large, stone bridge overlooking an even larger lake of lava. At the end of the bridge sat a large, dark, forboding castle; at the very top was a purple crystal that occasionally gave off purple lightning streaks. "There it is...Pravus Academy."

"We've been here lots of times," Raiu responded, arms folded behind his back as he leaned over Tails' shoulder. "You're talking like we're here for the first time."

Tails shrugged. "I feel in a narrative mood today." He smiled slightly and began walking down the path, taking note of several others, dressed similarly to him, talking amongst themselves. "Something tells me things are gonna go over well."

Raiu chuckled slightly as they entered through the main doors, being brought to a large hall, several doors on either side and a staircase in front of them. Even more figures wandered about in here, some of them walking back and forth between hallways. "Let's see..." Tails began looking around slightly. "Reporting Hall is...that way."

The duo proceeded to head down a different corridor, going through a few halls before arriving in a larger room with several different walls separating it into portions. On each side of the wall were several mirror-like extensions, with a number and slot on the side. Tails and Raiu wandered through for a moment before coming to a mirror numbered "0814". The fox reached into his bag and pulled out the "emblem" he had packed in earlier, an "x" shape on a red medallion. He pressed it against the slot on the side, a faint clicking heard and causing the mirror to jump to life.

On the other side was an ominous, black figure, noticeably wearing a similarly dark cloak with piercing yellow eyes. "Good morning, Mr. Prower," he spoke in a deep, foreboding voice.

"Headmaster," Tails murmured, he and Raiu both bowing respectfully. "We have arrived and are ready for duty."

"Good," the figure responded with a slight nod. "Tact and to the point, just like your father."

A blush flew across Tails' face as he looked up, Raiu mimicking the motion. "Y-you flatter me, Headmaster...I'm not as experienced as my father was just yet..."

"Regardless, let's get back to the topic at hand," the dark figure responded, regaining Tails and Raiu's attention. "Your mission today is to head to the Aquilus Atrium; we've found a rogue demon wandering about, disturbing the flow there. Take care of it."

Tails nodded once again. "Yes sir. You can count on us."

With this comment, the mirror went blank, Tails and Raiu glancing at each other. "Well, you heard the man. Aquilus Atrium, here we come."

Raiu nodded in response to this, the duo wandering through a few more halls before arriving at another large room, several multi-colored spots on the ground. A black robed figure waited at each one next to a console, a few others coming and going through each spot. Tails and Raiu approached another, the robed figure glancing at them. "What is your business?"

"Aquilus Atrium," Tails responded, hanging his emblem to the robed figure. "Sent to exterminate a rogue demon."

The emblem was scanned on the console, then surrendered to Tails again. "Your mission's been verified. Good luck."

Tails nodded as the duo stepped into the colorful spot, suddenly being whisked away in a bright light.


	2. Rickety Start

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 2-Rickety Start

The Aquilus Atrium was one of several institutions set up across the warlock's portion of Sanctimonia, commonly dubbed the Hellfields. These institutions helped regulate the flow of arcane magic through the entire area, stabilizing it and preventing them from going out of control. Despite how dangerous this seemed, everyone seemed to take it rather leniently; it must not've been that big of an issue if the Headmaster was sending single students to the Atrium to fix it.

In a flash of light, Tails and Raiu reappeared, looking around; the Atrium looked similar to the inside of a medieval castle, with gray, stone walls, moss-covered statues here and there, and cracked walls and flooring. "This is it, huh?" Raiu mumbled, looking down slightly. "Looks pretty...decrepit. No one ever bothered to make a little...y'know, visibly appealing?"

"They didn't exactly care about that," the fox responded, leading Raiu through the halls. "All they wanted was to ensure it did its job, and it's been doing it fine so far."

"Uh huh..." the furry dragon mumbled with a slight sigh. He accidentally stepped in some of the moss on the floor, hopping back with a frown and trying to shake it off. "Stupid fel moss...would it kill them to move it so I'm not getting it all over me?"

Tails looked after his partner with a smile and chuckle. "I've got shoes, so I don't need to worry about that."

The fox lifted up a foot to prove his point, causing Raiu to pout. "Yeah, I know...but I don't think they make shoes for feet that look like overgrown popsicle sticks."

To prove his own point, Raiu lifted up one of his stub-like legs, his toes just barely protruding out enough to give him a stable standing pose. "True, true," Tails murmured, rubbing his chin. "Still, it's not like it'll kill you; fel moss would actually improve your power, since you're a demon and stuff."

"I'd rather not..." Raiu mumbled, scraping the tainted moss off of his foot and stepping forward. "Can we just get rid of this rogue demon and leave already? This place is giving me the creeps..."

"Alright, alright," Tails responded with a chuckle, patting Raiu and stepping forward; his progress was abruptly halted when something abruptly swooped by, snatching the fox up in its claws and lifting him into the air. "Wah!"

"Tails!" Raiu gasped, whirling around to whatever was holding his master; it was a somewhat large, draconic figure, completely gray and beast-like. "A gargoyle..."

The furry dragon clenched his fists as the stone figure looked over Tails, who growled. "Let go of me, you pitiful excuse for a lawn ornament!"

With this comment, Tails swung his hand towards the gargoyle, abruptly releasing a wave of black energy that smacked the gargoyle's face, causing it to let go of him. Raiu caught the fox before he could hit the ground, setting him back down. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tails responded with a nod, the duo looking up at the gargoyle as it screeched. "That's obviously our target; let's kill it and be on our way!"

Raiu nodded, the gargoyle swooping towards them. Tails abruptly ducked, rolling out of the way of the incoming claws. Raiu, on the other hand, jumped up, managing to land on the gargoyle's back. It tried to grab at him with its claws, though Raiu's slim, lithe body enabled him to avoid every swipe with ease. It attempted to shake him off by spinning around, though the lack of attention it was paying to its surroundings caused it to crash somewhat unceremoniously into one of the columns on the sides of the room. Tails winced, calling, "Raiu!"

The smoke cleared, revealing that the impact had shaken the hybrid off, the gargoyle plummeting faster than him due to its increased weight. It landed back on its feet, looking up at Raiu and outstretching a claw in an attempt to slash at him. Instead, he managed to avoid the attack, sliding down the gargoyle's arm and swinging around to plow a kick into the side of its face. The gargoyle staggered back, Raiu landing on its feet in front of Tails. "Nice work, Raiu."

The hybrid smiled in pleasure, the gargoyle staggering back to its feet and rubbing at its slightly cracked cheek. Both warlock and demon blinked upon noticing it. "It's just a big chunk of rock, we hit it enough times and it'll crumble apart, right?" Raiu asked.

"Or we can hit it with a single powerful blow to finish it off," Tails responded, looking around slightly; he quickly noticed the fel moss-covered bits of rock nearby. He furrowed his brow. "Raiu, keep it distracted. I've got an idea."

"Can do," the hybrid responded, charging at the gargoyle once again. Using his superior agility, he avoided each strike, occasionally landing a physical blow to its body, though his more unfocused blows weren't doing as much damage. The hybrid frowned, looking around at Tails; the fox had lifted his hands up, eyes closed, causing the moss surrounding the area to begin glowing faintly. With a grunt, Tails made a forward thrusting motion, causing the pillars to abruptly be thrown forward. Raiu panicked for a moment and quickly hopped out of the way, the gargoyle looking around and letting out a low grunt.

The pillar impacted the gargoyle with a crash, blowing both to pieces and sending debris and dust everywhere. Raiu hopped back, next to Tails, who made a low sniffling noise. "Ugh...just what I needed. Dust."

"Not so fun, is it?" Raiu asked tauntingly, turning to Tails and giving him a light push to the chest.

"No, it's not," the fox responded with a chuckle, giving him a light tap back. "You've made your point, you can't stand the moss, and I can't stand the dust."

Tails let out a sneeze at this, Raiu snickering slightly. "In that case, we'd best get moving so we can both avoid what we don't like."

Raiu nodded, both turning around; however, they were interrupted by what sounded like a low rustling, causing both to stop. Both pairs of ears flicked about. "...did you hear that...?"

"Did you FEEL that?" Raiu responded, both turning around. "A...spike in dark energy..."

The hybrid looked around, soon finding the source; the fel moss that Tails had flung at the demon was starting to grow, covering the remains, as well as the surrounding ground and walls. Raiu's eyes widened. "Uuh...Tails? What did you do?"

Tails looked at the moss, his eyes widening. "I...just charged enough dark magic into it so that I could control it...I think I must've charged too much..."

"No point in whining about it now..." Raiu mumbled, watching as some of the fel moss began creeping towards them, forcing them to step back. "Let's get out of here before it gets us!"

"We can't leave!" Tails responded, glancing at Raiu. "At the rate it's growing, it'll begin siphoning the dark energy out of the entire Atrium...not only will that disrupt the flow, but it'll keep the moss growing until it devours all of the Hellfields!"

Raiu blinked in shock. "Th-that's not good...wh-what do we do?"

Tails grunted. "I could try a fire spell, but this moss is tainted with dark energy, it won't work..." The fox blinked, suddenly getting an idea. "...it'll take a while for this moss to grow to full size, if we can try overloading the heart with dark energy, it'll explode!"

"That makes sense...sorta," Raiu mumbled, watching as the moss began further expanding through the room.

"Come on!" Tails called, pulling Raiu over to where the gargoyle had been destroyed, where the moss was noticeably darker and pulsating with energy. "Alright, I'm gonna need your help..."

Raiu blinked slightly, Tails getting down on his knees and planting his hands on the ground. He grunted slightly, purple energy noticeably seeping from his hands and into the dark portion, causing it to throb and pulsate. "Raiu, a little help'd be appreciated..."

"Do I have to touch it?" Raiu mumbled with a hint of fear, shivering.

Tails sighed. "Fine, fine...uuhh, grab a hold of me, I think I can channel both our energies into it."

The demon paused, then nodded, grabbing a hold of Tails' shoulders, forced to crouch slightly so that he could reach him. Dark energy began seeping from his hands, causing the throbbing of the moss to accelerate, a low groan coming from all around. "I think it's working!" Raiu remarked.

Tails managed a smirk. "Hehe..." The moss continued to groan, the dark spot beginning to bulge slightly. "Almost there...aaaaaaand..."

Before anything else could be said, the bubbled moss abruptly exploded, releasing with it a wave of dark energy, as well as a large amount of goopy moss. Raiu and Tails were sent flying into the wall as the energy lashed at their surroundings, several crashing noises heard from all around. Some debris from the ceiling fell as well, Tails looking up and barely forming a shield of energy above them to shield them from falling chunks of stone. Finally, the cracking had died down slightly, Tails lowering the shield and looking around at the surroundings; the walls now had still crumbling holes in them, several bits of rock were strewn everywhere, and streams of purple mist flew everywhere.

"Did...did it work?" Raiu asked lowly.

Before Tails could give a response, a low beeping was heard from his robe. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a purple-colored gem. "H-hello?"

"Report back to base. NOW."

The voice was cut off almost as soon as it began, leaving Tails to wince. "Something tells me...we're in a lot of trouble for this..."

**-Later-**

"So...let me get this straight...you killed the gargoyle...but in the process, agitated the fel moss in the area, causing it to begin rapidly overtaking the Atrium, threatening to siphon all of the power from it and turn the Hellfields into one giant algae-covered slab."

"I-it was an accident-"

"And instead of coming back and telling someone more COMPETENT so tha they could handle it, you had to be the big hero and stop it yourself, in the process ruining the Atrium, and STILL not stopping the fel moss from spreading. Do I have my facts straight?"

Tails pursed his lips, looking down and trying to avoid eye contact with the other figure as he turned around. A taller, black furred fox wearing an equally dark coat with red trimming. A tall, red mohawk protruded from his head, and a green gem glistened from its spot, embedded at the base of his neck. "Y-...yes sir..."

The fox narrowed his steely gaze. "I'd be more tolerant if you at least came back and asked someone else to handle it, but noooooo, you had to get in over your head and screw everything up, didn't ya?"

Tails winced from the tongue lashing, Raiu looking up slightly from his spot next to the fox. "Look...Kachimi...it was an accident, we-"

"Don't talk back to your superior, rodent!" This shout came from a figue next to Kachimi; a shorter, serpent-like figure with dark blue, glistening skin, a pair of oversized claws, a v-shaped face, and a pair of glowing, yellow eyes.

"Sawagasu, down," the fox, Kachimi, grunted, the serpent shrinking back with a snarl. "I'm reporting this to the Headmaster. But in the meantime, you're being sent on a makeup exam." Tails and Raiu looked up with a nervous expression. "Dismissed."

Both bowed their heads, stepping out. Once they were gone, Sawagasu glanced at Kachimi with a contemplative expression. "Something like this could get 'em in a LOT of trouble, maybe even expelled! We should take advantage."

A wicked smirk found its way onto Sawagasu's snout as Kachimi waved his hand about. "Don't start getting all worked up just yet..." The fox managed a smirk himself. "I don't want him out of the picture just yet...oohh no, I want the little Prower boy to suffer before I take everything from him."

Sawagasu let out a wicked giggle. "Genius, genius!"

"And that's why I make the plans around here," Kachimi responded, folding his arms. "Let's send him on a mission that'll humiliate him even further..."

**-Later-**

Tails heaved a heavy sigh, flipping open the box he had been given before leaving the home and revealing the food inside. He began pulling them out and eating somewhat hastily, Raiu glancing at him. "Slow down, you'll choke..."

"I can't," Tails mumbled with a groan, hanging his head after swallowing his food. "I eat when I'm nervous..."

"That's no excuse for getting food lodged in your throat..." Raiu responded, flipping open his box and, quite contradictorily, beginning to gobble down its contents quickly.

Tails glanced at Raiu with a frown, then gulped down the contents. "Lucky...sure, I can't eat fast, but your demon body lets you..."

Raiu glanced at him with a frown. "That's not my fault..."

The fox went back to his food at this, both finishing after a few minutes. Tails sighed and stood up. "Well...Kachimi said we'd be taking this makeup exam with someone else, best find out who it is..."

Raiu nodded and stood up, only to find a furry tendril moving itself underneath his head, turning the demon's head around towards an orange-furred face with some brown-colored bangs sticking from his forehead. The face smiled. "Hi cutie."

Raiu jumped slightly and leaned back, Tails turning around; sitting on the table next to them was an orange-furred fox-like boy, though it would've been a tad difficult to label the gender given the extremely feminine appearance and clothing, a tight-fitting, not to mention pink colored, shirt and shorts being the articles of clothing he decided on. Most noticable were four lengthy, thick extensions sticking from behind; four tails, a kitsune. "S-Sabishii," Raiu mumbled, stepping to Tails' side.

The kitsune waggled a paw at Raiu, murmuring, "So I heard you two screwed up pretty badly on your last mission."

Tails frowned. "That's...none of your business..."

Sabishii let out a rather pitiful pout, then mumbled, "I was just gonna try and cheer you two up, was that so much to ask...?"

The kitsune pulled the duo close to him with his tails, glancing at both with a seductive purr. "Down, Sabishii."

Tails and Raiu looked up as Sabishii let go of them, slinking behind the source of the voice; a black-furred cat girl, wearing a short, purple robe that more resembled a dress, and a pair of similarly-colored stockings running up to her knees. A purple hat with a pointed top and a wide brim, similar to what one would see on a witch, was perched on her head. Sabishii looked at the witch-like cat. "C'moooooon..."

"I'd be a little more tolerant if it were just Raiu," the feline scolded, turning to him and putting her paws on her hips. "But you know the rules just as well as I do, demons and warlocks aren't supposed to have anything further than a business relationship. It's one of the big taboos."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Sabishii mumbled flatly, folding his arms.

The cat sighed and turned back to Tails. "Lyla," the fox murmured, folding his hands behind him. "Thank you."

"Thank me later..." she responded with a sigh. "Since we're gonna be headed to work on that exam soon."

Tails and Raiu blinked. "We? Wait, you two're the ones we were taking the exam with?"

The cat, Lyla, nodded with a sigh. "I hate to admit it...but yeah. We screwed up in one of our missions."

"So we gotta do a makeup exam with you two!" Sabishii responded, clapping his paws together. "Oohh, this'll be so much fun!"

"Not really," Tails responded with a groan.

Sabishii looked down at him with a frown. "...you don't hate me THAT much, do you...?"

Tails looked up with a blink. "N-no, that's not what I meant." He looked down again. "I'm supposed to be living up to my family's name...but screwing up entire Atriums, getting sent on makeup exams..." He shook his head around. "My parents must be spinning in their graves..."

"Now now..." Lyla murmured, patting Tails on the shoulder. "Don't start getting down on yourself. So you messed up, big whoop. I'll bet Amadeus didn't get every mission right either."

Tails looked up slightly, Lyla smiling back at him. He managed a weak smile back. "...I suppose you're right, Lyla. Thanks."

"No problem," she responded, patting his shoulder. "Now, let's get to that makeup exam before we give Kachimi ANOTHER reason to bite our heads off."

All four of them exchanged a light chuckle before walking off, headed back towards the warp room.


	3. Famulus

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 3-Famulus

Another bright flash of light, and the foursome found themselves gently placed on the ground, looking around. "Alright, where are we...?"

The team was greeted with a large expanse of gray nothingness, some hills lifting up here and there, and some blackened, gnarled trees sticking out of the cracked ground here and there. "It looks kinda like they just dumped us in the middle of the Hellfields..." Lyla mused, folding her arms.

Sabishii lowered his hands with a slight pout. "Then how do we even know where to start looking? It could take ages to find our way around here, let alone figure out what we're gonna do!"

Tails cleared his throat to get the duo's attention. "Let's not get too worked up, I'm sure we'll have something to help guide our way, maybe a discreet clue, at least."

"Why a clue?" Sabishii whined lowly. "Why not just tell us what we have to do?"

"Think about it," the fox boy responded, glancing at Raiu slightly. "We screwed up big time on our missions, so now we have to redeem ourselves for it. We have to prove ourselves worthy of the academy's time and effort."

Raiu put his paw to his chin in though. "So...you're saying they're intentionally not telling us what to do so that we can prove we've got what it takes to continue our studies?"

"That's a little risky..." Sabishii responded, his tails coiling together. "We could get lost out here, or worse..."

Lyla glanced at Sabishii slightly. "You say that like you're surprised."

Tails nodded, and added, "The school's known for harsh stuff like this, you should know that by now."

The kitsune looked down slightly. "I guess..."

"Either way," Tails continued, turning back around. "Let's see if we can find anything in particular we should be looking for."

With this comment, Lyla bent down on the ground, placing her hands on the cracked earth and closing her eyes, focusing. Raiu and Sabishii blinked slightly, looking at each other as Tails tilted his head to one side.

"That was admittedly fast."

"He IS the Prower child, after all..."

This comment was met with a slightly indiscernable sigh from the black-furred fox watching the screen. "Is something the matter, Kachimi...?"

Said fox immediately turned around, bowing slightly at the wolf standing behind him; the duo, as well as Sawagasu and a gray-furred, teenage wolf in a black trenchcoat, were in a somewhat large castle-like room. The muscular, black-furred wolf swept his cloak around, folding his arms. "You seem almost disappointed that he figured it out so easily."

Kachimi faked a smile. "Oh nooooo...Headmaster, I'd never do something like that!"

The wolf, obviously the Headmaster, furrowed his brow. The gray-furred wolf rolled his eyes. "Are you SURE they should be sent on this test? The Aquilus Atrium is constantly suffering malfunctions anyway...we might even be able to use the fel moss infestation to our advantage and blow the damn place up."

The Headmaster placed his head into his claw, tapping his cheek and letting out a low hum in thought. Kachimi and Sawagasu quickly turned around to them, the serpent stammering, "L-let's not get too hasty, we-"

"The fact that we can use it to our advantage isn't exactly the point," Kachimi responded smartly, quickly bowing again. "With all due respect, Headmaster; they need to learn to be more careful. Simply excusing this one situation because it might be beneficial seems...unfair, to say the least."

The wolf mulled this over for a bit before sighing. "You pose a bit of a point, Kachimi." He straightened himself back out in his seat, murmuring, "Let's see if they can get through this little test."

Kachimi nodded, turning back around while hiding a scowl of annoyance from the current situation. "Damn Prower..."

The foursome turned back to the projecting mirror, Lyla's eyes finally opening. "I feel something close by."

"What is it?" Sabishii asked, leaning down slightly as Lyla stood back up.

The cat looked at him, and responded, "Life signatures. But much different than what we're used to seeing around here...a lot..." He furrowed his brow. "Purer..."

All three blinked in surprise. "You don't mean...?"

"Famulus," the feline finished, turning to them with a serious expression. "It makes sense; what better way to prove our use and loyalty than to disrupt a Famulus station out here in our backyard?"

"Of course, it can't be too advanced or they'd have sent more backup," Tails added, snapping his fingers. "Or at least a more experienced team."

Lyla nodded. "Which way is it?"

"This way." With this comment, the foursome turned around, headed off towards whichever direction the cat had specified.

Back on the other side of the scrying mirror, the Headmaster had blinked in mild surprise. "...Famulus? Here?"

Sawagasu turned around slightly. "Wait...you mean our great Headmaster didn't KNOW?"

The wolf's piercing yellow eyes turned onto the serpent, who suddenly melted into a rather goopy, blue puddle. "I-if I may be so bold..." Kachimi remarked, quickly bowing. "You sound surprised to hear this bit of information, did you not know?"

Another glance from the wolf, Kachimi pursing his lips together. "No. I didn't. It must've been so subtle that I was unable to track it from this distance."

"It wasn't what we had in mind..." the teen wolf added, closing his eyes. "But Lyla poses a very good point. This is the perfect test of their loyalty and abilities."

The Headmaster lifted a claw. "I agree. We'll go through with this development for now."

Suddenly, a black wisp formed over the Headmaster's claw, forming into what looked to be a crow with a singular, red eye. "Something else has develloped. You're required back at the academy."

"What of the two students?"

"They have another test to attend to. Your role is no longer necessary."

"Understood."

On the other side of the line, the crow dissipated from the red furry hand it was perched on. The hand retracted back to the similarly colored snout, shifting about the glasses perched on it. "Wha' happened?"

"We're headed back to the academy. It seems they have a new test at their hands."

"Aaaaaaaawh...I wanted to meet 'em!"

"Me too..."

"It can't be helped. Let's get back to the academy."

A pillar of dark energy was summoned, the two short figures toddling through. "Oohh, I'm hungry. When we get back, can we go have a snack?"

"Oohh, I wanna snack! Can we? Please?"

The red-furred fox stepped through, turning back around and looking up with a serious expression. "Of course." With this comment, the pillar disappeared.

**-Meanwhile-**

All four poked their heads over the ridge, scanning the area before them. "That must be it down there..."

What greeted the group was what looked to be a construction site, with the frame of a building being set up in the middle of a group of tents and wagons. Although the wooden frame was complete, the stone walls themselves had only just began to be put up; they were fairly early in development. The giveaway to the Famulus's involvement was the blue-colored flag hanging in the middle of the encampment. "No doubt about it," Lyla responded in response to Raiu's comment.

Sabishii managed a devilish smirk, licking his lips. "Hee...I forgot how sweet a pure soul tasted."

"Now now," the cat girl responded, glancing at Sabishii. "We don't have authorization, don't go getting excited just yet."

This was met with a disappointed "awh" from both Sabishii and Raiu, the latter of which had actually began drooling slightly from whatever it was they were referring to. "Either way...let's get ourselves down there and get started."

With this comment, Tails began sliding down the ridge, Raiu following after alonggside Lyla and Sabishii. The foursome dove behind one of the wagons, Tails glancing at Lyla. "Alright, it doesn't look like we have too large a force to deal with. Lyla, set up a binding circle, and we'll take the offensive."

The cat girl nodded. "Are you sure she'll be able to get this entire camp?" Sabishii asked curiously.

Tails smiled and glanced at Lyla. "I have the utmost confidence in her. She IS one of the best with widespread curses in our entire school."

The cat girl couldn't help but giggle with a discreet blush. "Oh you..."

"Ahem," Raiu murmured somewhat noisily, nudging Tails. "We need to get moving, before they-"

The furry dragon was interrupted b a bang, the portion of the wagon directly above his head being splintered and causing him to jump slightly. All four looked at the hole now formed in the side. They then turned back around, noticing a group of white-clad soldiers pointing rifles at them. "...I think they found us."

Before anything else could be said, all four of them scrambled out of the way to avoid the other bullet strikes, causing the others in the area to quickly back away as more soldiers approached. "Lyla!" Tails called, glancing at her.

The cat girl abruptly slammed her hands into the ground, taking a breath and causing the ground underneath her to begin glowing purple. All rifles turned to her, however, the incoming bullets were deflected by Sabishii's tails curling in the way, the kitsune hopping in front of his master. "Not so fast," he responded, narrowing his gaze.

The soldiers once again raised their rifles, only for several small darts of dark energy to force them to hop back to avoid being struck. All of them turned towards the source, Tails, however, those that did were abruptly met with a flying kick from Raiu's face, the furry dragon hopping off of each soldier and knocking them to the ground. All of them stood back up, only for a rather large series of markings to appear along the ground, stemming from Lyla's hands planted on the ground. "Gotcha," she responded with a smirk.

The soldier's eyes widened, their movements suddenly becoming much slower and robotic. "C'can't...move..."

"Nice job!" Tails called, his hands beginning to glow purple once more. Lyla smirked back as Tails planted a hand onto the ground at the edge of the marking, resulting in the ground beginning to let loose several bolts of purple energy. The bolts streaked all through the ground, zapping all of the soldiers and causing them to drop to the ground. Lyla and Tails both stood up, Raiu nudging one of the fallen soldiers with his foot.

"Huh. That was a little disappointing."

Lyla waved a hand around. "Famulus footsoldiers are pushovers, believe me."

Tails blinked slightly, looking around. "Still...this felt almost...too easy..." He furrowed his brow. "Keep on your guard, this might be a-"

The fox was cut off when the ground underneath him suddenly caved in, turning into sand that hardened almost as quickly as it had shifted, trapping him inside. "What the?"

"Tails!" Raiu gasped, the others rushing to his side; the furry dragon abruptly hopped back to avoid another portion of the ground caving in, though Lyla wasn't as lucky and stumbled right in, Sabishii trying to uproot her with his tails.

"Agh! We're stuck!" she grunted, squirming about.

"Gotcha."

The female voice prompted Raiu and Sabishii to quickly turn around to the source of the voice; a somewhat tall, teenage fox girl with orange-colored fur, wearing an elaborate white robe with a few yellow streaks running along it, a few of them appearing to be zippers. In her hand was a wooden staff with a red gem perched at the top, affixed to a golden crescent. She came to a stop, tapping the end of the staff on the ground and staring at the foursome with a determined expression. "Warlocks...your time has come. I am Kokira Ikaru, and I am going to bring punishment onto you for your sinister ways."


	4. Code of Conduct

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 4-Code of Conduct

Tails and Lyla continued to squirm about in anger, watching helplessly as Raiu and Sabishii took on a defensive stance as Kokira took another step further. "Watch yourself, little girl," Sabishii warned, the tips of his tails suddenly springing to life and letting out some intimidating flames.

Kokira came to a stop, a serious expression still on her muzzle. With one fluent motion, she swung her staff towards the duo, releasing a wave of flames that forced Raiu and Sabishii to step back, protectively over their masters. "I won't let you get away with terrorizing not only those who give their efforts to aid our cause...but to all of Sanctimonia as well," Kokira murmured, gripping her weapon tighter.

Raiu narrowed his gaze, crouching slightly and murmuring, "Just try."

With this comment, Kokira span her staff around, smashing the tip onto the ground and causing the earth to begin cracking, sending several bits of debris flying towards the duo. Sabishii quickly held his tails in the way, blocking against the gravel; however, Kokira had leaped high into the air over the duo, prompting them to look up. The end of her staff began glowing a bright yellow, giving off several streaks of energy. "Watch out!"

Instead of moving out of the way, Raiu held up his paws, grappling onto the very edge of the staff and causing the ground underneath him to crack, the furry dragon quickly hitting his knees from the force exerted. Kokira narrowed her gaze and abruptly spun around on her heel, managing to sling Raiu towards one of the nearby pile of crates, knocking it over and causing Tails to gasp. "Raiu!"

The fox then found the edge of Kokira's staff being placed at his nose, prompting him to lean back slightly once he felt the sheer power being given off by it. Kokira was abruptly yanked back when Sabishii's tails constricted around her, dragging the vixen into the air where she was promptly squeezed. "Ggh! Dang it!"

Tails blinked, only for his attention to be torn when Lyla glanced at him. The fox glanced at her, only to immediately notice an array of purple markings beginning to gather on the ground around the two of them. Tails noticed them immediately; that curse would steadily weaken the composition of the soil around them, enabling the duo to break free. While it was usually used to make pitfalls, this situation was just as ideal.

During this time, Kokira had managed to get one of her hands free, the tips of her fingers beginning to glow white. Sabishii blinked in shock as she planted them into one of Sabishii's tails, causing him to squeal in agony and let of of her, retracting his slightly burnt tail with a whimper. Turning away from the kitsune, Kokira stepped towards Tails and Lyla, the cat girl narrowing her gaze.

Kokira's advancement was halted when Raiu dashed forward from the pile of crates, something behind him abruptly catapulting the furry dragon forward with such speed that he was able to tackle Kokira, knocking her to the ground. Raiu leaped off of Kokira, landing in front of Tails and Lyla, trying to unearth them from the pit. He was, however, unaware of Kokira tapping her staff on the ground, suddenly causing the uneven ground to explode upwards, creating an upstream of compressed air that knocked Raiu high into the air and forcing Tails and Lyla to wince form the gravel released. "Ggh..."

The vixen finally managed to get back to her feet, shaking herself off and glancing back at Tails and Lyla. "I've been trying to restrain myself from harming you significantly...but that's getting harder and harder to do," Kokira mumbled with a tone of annoyance, stepping towards the duo a little faster. "I need to finish this quickly."

Tails and Lyla grunted slightly, the fox blinking as he looked up slightly, noticing a speck beginning to fall from above; no doubt Raiu. A quick scan of his location, Raiu's, and Kokira's allowed a plan to slowly become formulated. He managed a slight smirk as Kokira stepped forward a little more. "That's a nice robe you've got."

Kokira blinked slightly as Lyla cast a confused glance at Tails. "Um...thanks?"

"It'd be a shame if it got dirty!" With this comment, Tails managed to thrust a hand upwards form the loosened dirt, slinging a clump of gravel towards Kokira's face, hitting her directly in the eyes.

"G-gah!" she growled slightly, grabbing her face and trying to rub the dust from her eyes. "D-dirty trick!"

"Don't remind me," Tails responded as-a-matter-of-factly, standing back up and brushing the excess dirt from his robe. "Raiu, now!"

Kokira grunted lowly, tilting her head back just enough to see Raiu still rocketing down. He had curled up into a ball by this point, faint streams of energy seen flying around him as he flew downwards towards the vixen. Her slightly bloodshot eyes widened in shock, and she grunted, "T-tch..."

With this final comment, she abruptly slammed the end of her staff onto the ground, suddenly causing a large dust cloud to shoot up from the ground, hiding the results of Raiu's impact, making the only noticeable aspects being a loud smashing sound and a high-pitched yelp. Tails covered his face from the falling dirt, looking up once it had all dissipated. He blinked in shock; Kokira and all of the Famulus footsoldiers were gone, and where Kokira once was, Raiu was in a crouching position, eyes wide and teary, his body trembling. "O-...ow..."

"Raiu!" Tails gasped, quickly rushing to his side as Lyla clambered out of her hole, shaking the dirt off of her dress. The furry dragon slowly fell into a sitting position, Tails scooping him up slightly. "I think your legs got broken from that fall..."

The furry dragon bit his lower lip with a slow nod, Sabishii slowly looking up. "Well...we chased away the Famulus forces here..." Lyla mused, stepping towards the kitsune's side. "I'd say this was enough of a vistory."

"But not enough of one."

All four slowly looked around, taking note of a pillar of dark energy sprouting from the ground. Two figures hopped out; they looked similar in body structure, being short and very round, having an almost overweight appearance to them. One was a brown-furred otter wearing a dark blue t-shirt and shorts, both being short enough to show off his bulging middle. The other was a black-furred cat-like creature with snow-white hair, two long, thick ears, and a similar pair of dark blue shorts, though the shirt was foregone for an oversized collar. Both turned excitedly towards the portal, where one last figure stepped out.

A tall, teenage fox with brick-red fur, a tuft of brown hair on his head. He wore a long, dark green coat over a black robe that came down to his ankles. Tails and Lyla both blinked, the latter murmuring, "Y-you're..."

"So, what didja want us to do, Kinshou?" the cat boy asked, looking up at the fox with a curious expression.

The fox, Kinshou, closed his eyes. "While it's true that our two warlocks did manage to chase off the Famulus forces, they didn't take anyone captive. Especially since one of their highest ranking officials was present."

Tails and Lyla winced slightly, the fox boy looking down at the pained Raiu. "Still, I must give you credit. That you were able to force her to escape at all is a feat enough for two lower-levelled warlocks," Kinshou added, sighing slightly. "Still, if we want them to be gone completely, we'll have to lay waste to their construction site." With this comment, he snapped his fingers. "Milio. Kentan. Here's your meal."

"Yay!" both chubby creatures cheered, dashing towards the site as Kinshou stepped towards Tails, looking down at the fox as he held Raiu.

Tails pursed his lips slightly, Kinshou staring off with him for a moment. "Tomorrow, you have another test ahead of you. Orders from the Headmaster himself. Until then, head back home, tend to your minion. You lot are done here."

The fox quickly stepped back to his feet with a bow. "Th-thank you sir..." He looked back at the two kinshou seemed to be commanding; both had literally gone to tearing apart the campsite, actually eating all of the supplies and building materials as if they were actual food objects. Tails couldn't help but blink in wonder as Lyla pushed him off towards the pillar of dark energy, the foursome stepping through.

Almost as soon as they had left, however, another figure stepped through; Kachimi, followed closely by Sawagasu. The fox frowned as he stared at Kinshou, who continued to oversee the progress his two minions were causing. "You gave him a leave of absence? The test was supposed to be as soon as he got back!"

"His demon partner was injured," Kinshou responded calmly, not even turning around to Kachimi and shifting about the rectangular glasses perched on his nose. "He wouldn't have been able to perform to his fullest extent."

"So?" Kachimi mumbled with a snarl. "Doesn't give YOU the right to go playing the good guy! You're abusing your priveleges as prefect! It goes against our code of honor!"

Kinshou didn't respond to this, continuing to stare at Milio and Kentan as they hungrily devoured the entire site. "Hey! Answer me when I'm talking to yo-"

Kachimi was cut off when Kinshou turned around, extending his palm and causing a current of light purple energy to extend forth, grabbing onto Kachimi's throat. Sawagasu's eyes widened and he snarled, turning towards Kinshou. "Bastard, I ought to snap you in half for that!"

"In a moment," Kinshou responded with mild disinterest, eyes still locked with Kachimi. "You can't exactly lecture me about abusing my position when you yourself are no stranger to it."

The black-furred fox growled in irritation as his red-colored counterpart stepped forward. "For example, making little Miles go on that mission to the Aquilus Atrium, knowing full well there was an infestation of fel moss in the area. Knowing that with him there, it'd only be a matter of time before his very presence caused it to react like that."

"You...can't prove anything," Kachimi grunted back, grabbing at the purple hand grasping his neck.

Kinshou fell silent yet again, finally releasing Kachimi and turning back around. "Maybe not. But that doesn't mean I can't offer my help for our little fox friend. Especially considering who he is."

He cast a glance at Kachimi out of the side of his eye, the black-furred fox massaging his neck with a scowl. "Bite me."

"Gladly!" the otter boy suddenly remarked, appearing behind Kachimi, mouth wide.

Sawagasu abruptly whirled around, extending his arms and grabbing at the edge of the otter's mouth, preventing it from clamping down. "Hey! Leave Milio alone!"

The cat boy abruptly toddled after Sawagasu, grabbing his head and yanking him away, sending Sawagasu toppling to the ground. Kachimi snarled at this, mumbling, "Hmph...two against one? You always were unfair."

Kinshou sighed slightly. "Milio, Kentan, stop fighting."

Both abruptly hopped to Kinshou's side, bowing apologetically. "We're sorry..."

He pat both of their heads, stepping towards the pillar of darkness. "Good boys."

"Yay!" both shouted, grabbing onto Kinshou as he led them towards the pillar. "Can we go and get some desert after this?"

"Sure," he responded blankly, stepping into the pillar and leaving Kachimi and Sawagasu to stare after him in disdain.

**-Meanwhile-**

"And...there."

Tails stepped away from Raiu, who was now lying in his smaller bed back in their home. The furry dragon now had some bandages wrapped around his legs, Tails putting his hands to his hips and looking them over. "I think that suffices, huh?"

Raiu lightly moved his legs about, wincing slightly form the movement. "Ggh..."

"Guess not," Tails mumbled with a slight sigh, hanging his head. "I need to work a little more on mending spells..."

Raiu leaned up slightly as Tails went back to a desk, taking some books out of his pack and going through them. "C'mon, don't say that...healing is more an area of specialty in white magic. And last time I checked...we practice black magic."

Tails paused, managing a slight smile and shaking his head. "Touche. Still doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to tend to my demon partner."

The furry dragon looked away slightly, finally tilting his head back and staring up at the ceiling. His gaze slowly travelled to a poster hanging right above him; several different rules were portrayed, at the top the words "Warlock Codes of Conduct" were emblazoned. These were the rules that every warlock needed to follow, no matter what...breaking any of these rules would result in dire consequences. At the bottom was one Raiu had meditated on many a time.

_"The relationship between warlock and demon partner is to remain strictly business-oriented."_

From what Raiu gathered, this meant that the warlock and partner were to have a solely business-based relationship. Kinda like two employees in an establishment. Their interactions were to be towards fulfilling the mission at hand, nothing more, nothing less. Raiu glanced back at Tails for a moment, the fox casting him a momentary glance before Raiu tilted his head back to the poster. Tails followed his gaze and blinked. "What is it?"

The fox stood up and approached, Raiu letting out a slight sigh. Tails looked over the list, his eyes falling on the same spot Raiu had been contemplating. "The one on the bottom?"

Raiu pursed his lips, Tails bending down to his side. "Oohh, I see...you're worried that I'll get in trouble for making a big deal over you getting hurt, aren't you?"

_"Not exactly..."_ "Sorta," the furry dragon mumbled lowly.

Tails chuckled slightly, ruffling Raiu's head. "C'mon, they wouldn't teach you how to mend wounds if you weren't gonna apply them. The demon partner is an extension of the warlock's being, without them their power is significantly cut."

"Yeah, I know..." Raiu mumbled lowly, closing his eyes with another slight sigh.

"So stop being all mopey and whatnot, you know I don't like that," Tails finished, standing back up and stepping towards the desk. "We've got that test tomorrow, we need to be ready."

Raiu nodded. "G-got it." He turned back to the ceiling, closing his eyes again with a low sigh. "Whatever you say..."


	5. Successor

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 5-Successor

"...and that is all for today."

A low dinging sound was heard throughout the entire room, and those collected in the large classroom began standing up, gathering their things and getting ready to step out. Tails himself stood up with Raiu at his side, the furry dragon's movements a little off due to the bandages on his legs. "Miles. A word."

The fox immediately looked up to the figure at the end of the room; their Headmaster, the tall black-furred wolf in the equally as pitch black cloak. Tails glanced at Raiu and stepped forward, his demon partner following. "Y-yes Hesdmaster?"

"Your test," he responded, prompting warlock and demon to blink; they had nearly forgotten about that.

"O-oh, right," Tails mumbled, quickly bowing and resulting in Raiu following his motion. "T-terribly sorry, I forgot..."

The Headmaster didn't respond to this, and simply continued to stare at Tails. "Kinshou will be accompanying you."

Tails and Raiu both looked up with a blink, staring at the Headmaster in confusion. "R-...really?" Raiu asked lowly, pursing his lips.

"I-...if I may be so bold as to ask..." Tails began, only for the Headmaster to lift a muscular, clawed hand.

"I know what you're inquisitive about, and I'll say this; Kinshou has shown a bit of interest in your development here at this school. And since he has proven time and again that he is one of the most capable students here, I trust he will act as an ideal guide for you." With this comment, the Headmaster turned around. "You are dismissed."

Tails and Raiu exchanged one last glance before bowing again and stepping out. "So...first he gave us a leave of absence...and now he's overseeing our next test?" Raiu mumbled lowly, glancing at Tails.

The fox boy shrugged. "Yeah, it is weird...especially since he's..." Tails began counting on his fingers, mumbling to himself. "...one of the highest ranking, if not THE highest ranking, student at this school. Why would he be interested in the development of a lower-class warlock like me?"

"I can think of a few reasons," Raiu responded, his gaze traveling to Tails' back; specifically to the second appendage sticking out from behind him where he got his nickname.

Tails followed Raiu's gaze, pulling the fluffy extensions into his grasp. "You can't possibly think he's just trying to suck up to me, do you?"

"It's a possibility..." Raiu responded lowly, the duo entering into the portal room; right at the front of the doorway was Kinshou, with the two overly chubby creatures alongside him, both of them with a snack in hand.

"You've arrived," Kinshou responded with a slight nod. "Good."

Tails and Raiu nodded slightly, Kinshou and the other two leading them towards one of the portals. A slight glance at the demon overseeing the portal, and the team entered into it. Once the flash of light had died down, the duo looked up; they were inside of some sort of somewhat dark, stone room, though Tails and Raiu seemed to notice it. "The...dueling grounds?"

Kinshou nodded, Raiu's eyes widening slightly. "Y-...you're not gonna-"

"Not exactly," the fox responded lowly, glancing at Tails and Raiu. "The Headmaster has expressed concern. While the two of you don't have any problems taking care of grunts or solving puzzles, your abilities in pitched combat against a single, powerful opponent is lacking."

"So...you are going to duel us...?" Tails mumble,d pursing his lips in anxiety; the thought of battling against one of the strongest students in the entire school was scary enough.

Kinshou shook his head. "I just told you, not exactly. We're going to go one at a time." His gaze went to Raiu. "You'll go first. Against..." His eyes went to the two chubby creatures around him. "...Milio."

"Yay!" The otter hopped forward, bouncing in front of Raiu. "We're gonna have so much fuuuuuun!"

"Y-yeah..." the furry dragon murmured, slowly stepping a short distance away to where the ground was a slightly lighter color that the rest of the area. Tails, Kinshou, and the cat stepped to the side, ready to spectate the fight.

"Begin," Kinshou murmured, looking at Milio. "Try and give him an actual challenge, but don't go overboard; he still has a bit of an injury."

"'Kay 'kay!" Milio remarked cheerily, abruptly skipping towards Raiu with surprising speed; the furry dragon crouched down slightly and quickly hopped to the side when Milio lunged at him, rolling along the ground before stopping back in a standing position. The tubby otter whirled around towards Raiu, spinning on his heel like some sort of top and suddenly opening his mouth; Milio's tongue abruptly extended and shot towards Raiu, ensnaring around the hybrid's arms.

Raiu's eyes widened as Milio began attempting to reel him in, the hybrid grunting and trying to pull back. However, the pain in his legs was making it increasingly difficult for him to get a good footing with which to work with, and Milio was getting increasingly close. Soon enough, they were within arm's reach, and Milio opened his mouth widely, obviously preparing a finishing strike. Raiu narrowed his gaze, shouting, "Gotcha!"

"Got me?" Milio echoed in curiosity, blinking and abruptly making a powerful gulping motion that sent Raiu flying towards him.

Instead, however, the furry hybrid leaped over Milio's mouth, tongue still in his grasp, landing behind the oversized otter, who had began tilting his head back to see Raiu. "Nn? Whatcha doin'?"

With this comment, Raiu yanked back, causing Milio to stagger back towards him from the force exerted. It only now occurred to Raiu why this was a bad idea; his eyes widened slightly as Milio toppled back, landing right on top of the hybrid with a loud thump. "Mmph!"

A few moments passed in silence, Tails, Kinshou, and the cat staring for a moment. "Is he gon' be alright?" the large feline asked lowly.

"Patience, Kentan," Kinshou responded lowly, continuing to stare ahead at the battling combatants.

Tails gulped nervously as Milio continued to lay there, glancing at Kinshou slightly. _"Part of Kinshou's pure skill comes from the fact that he can control TWO demons at once in combat...barely any other warlocks can boast that. But even if they're apart, they're still as strong as any other..."_ Tails thought to himself with a shiver.

During this time, however, Milio had blinked, humming lightly as his body began slowly being lifted off the ground. The three spectators blinked slightly as the otter was slowly lifted up; Raiu was indeed underneath Milio, groaning lowly, fangs barred. With one loud roar, Raiu tossed Milio off, sending the otter toppling to a halt and coming back to a sitting position. He blinked slightly as Raiu hit his knees with a slight pant, head drooped. "That was fun!" Milio called, clapping his hands together giddily. "Let's go again, let's go again!"

Tails sweatdropped slightly at the otter demon's antics; it was hard to believe THIS was what the more capable students were like. "He may seem a tad...off to you," Kinshou suddenly responded, earning a startled glance from Tails. "Him and Kentan both make up for it with their raw strength."

Kinshou shifted about the glasses on his snout, closing his eyes. "I use my superior intellect to direct them in battle. Combining the warlock's abilities as a commander with the demon's brute strength..."

"...that's the entire basis of making the combination work," Tails mused lowly, blinking and looking back at the battle; Raiu had gone back to using his superior mobility to try and outmaneuver his larger opponent, who was playfully trying to swat at him with his paws and tails, occasionally trying to whip at him with his tongue.

"Cake?" Tails jumped slightly upon noticing that Kentan had appeared in front of him, toting a plate of sugary confections with him. The cat boy smiled dopily before holding one of the cakes up to Tails. "It's got sugar and frooooooosting..."

Tails slowly looked over at Kinshou; who, for some reason, had been snacking on one absent-mindedly as well. "Um...thanks," Tails murmured, taking one and taking a bite of it. He looked back at the battle; Milio had ensnared his tongue around Raiu's foot and had lifted him into the air, slinging him around in circles.

"This is my ride! Isn't it fun?" Milio called giddily, Raiu letting out several yelps from each turn.

"IIIiiiiIIIIIiiiiiIIIII ..." the hybrid mumbled lowly, finally being flung into the air, spiralling about for a moment before clinging to Milio's face, head spinning. "Ggh...dizzy..."

Milio had began trying to pry Raiu off of his face at this time, though he clung on persistently. During this time, Tails had slowly looked back at Kinshou after finishing his cake. "Um...Kinshou? Can I ask you a question?"

The taller fox cast Tails a bored stare as Kentan offered him another cake; Tails paused for a moment before accpeting it and taking a bite. "The Headmaster told us that you had taken an interest in our development at this school..." Tails began, looking up at Kinshou.

Both had fallen silent for a moment, Kinshou looking away and closing his eyes. "Tails...you might be one of the lower-ranking warlocks at this school...but you do have something no one else here has." He glanced back at the fox with a serious expression.

"Your father is considered to be one of the greatest warlocks who ever lived. He accomplished many a feat, commited many an act that leaves the rest of those that lived in his generation in awe." Kinshou sighed lightly. "It's been thought there was nothing too dark, nothing too daring he didn't attempt. Such as experimenting on his own unborn son."

Tails pursed his lips, his namesakes curling into his lap. Kinshou remained stoic. "Seemingly to try and make the resulting child even stronger than normal. However..." He looked away slightly. "Here you are now, and instead of completely surpassing your father's expectations, your performance has been adequate at best."

The smaller fox frowned, narrowing his gaze. "That doesn't mean I won't do it someday!" He turned to face Kinshou, and retorted, "So I've messed up a few times, my father did as well! There's nothing stopping me from surpassing him!"

Kinshou kept his stoic gaze on Tails, Kentan looking at the duo with a slightly woried expression. Kinshou abruptly snapped his fingers. "Milio. Raiu. Clear the stage."

The duo looked up from their fight with a blink, Milio smiling dopily. "M'kay!"

The otter proceeded to drag Raiu to the sidelines as Kinshou grabbed Tails by the hood of his robe, dragging him towards the field and pushing him to the side. "H-hey! What gives?" Tails grunte,d kinshou standing opposite of him and shifting his glasses about.

"So you think you have what it takes to surpass your father, do you?" Kinshou asked lowly, narrowing his gaze slightly; he lowered his hand from his face, said hand beginning to glow a light purple. "Then prove it to me. Defeat me in combat; maybe then I'll acknowlegde your words."

Tails fell silent; if this were any other situation, he'd be frightened of having to go one-on-one with Kinshou. This wasn't a normal situation, however; the prefect had insulted not only him, but his pride as a member of his family. Tails gripped his hands, narrowing his gaze. "I'll do just that!"


	6. Tails vs Kinshou

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 6-Tails vs. Kinshou

The three demons looked on at the battle with anxious expressions, Kinshou closing his eyes. "Very well then." With this comment, he lifted up his glowing hard, suddenly shooting a large barrage of light purple needles. Tails blinked in surprise and just barely managed to avoid; however, this distraction was all that was needed for Kinshou to suddenly appear next to the fox, kicking him in the side and sending him toppling about, rolling to a halt.

"H-...he's fast..." Raiu mumbled with a worried blink, watching as Tails clenched his fist, abruptly shooting a large bullet towards Kinshou.

In response, however, the fox lifted up his glowing hand, abruptly flicking the dark bullet and causing it to abruptly dissipate into a black dust that harmlessly wafted past Kinshou. Tails blinked in shock as Kinshou bent his wrist, his hands pointing down. "Focusing on such powerful, yet simple attacks...I expected something a little more from you."

Tails gritted his teeth in irritation as Kinshou opened his palm, generating an orb of dark energy in his grasp. He abruptly lifted up his palm, pointing the orb directly at Tails and firing it at a surprising speed. The fox's eyes widened as the attack made impact, sending him toppling backwards, just barely managing to avoid being knocked out of the ring. He slowly clambered back to his feet; Kinshou was already standing above him, another attack being generated in his grasp. Tails gritted his teeth as the older fox thrust his attack downwards; however, using what reflexes he still had, Tails managed to shoot a dark blast at the incoming attack, resulting in a sizeable explosion shrouding the duo and around half of the battlefield. All three demons blinked. "Tails!" Raiu gasped in anxiety.

During this time, Tails had abruptly dashed out of the smoke cloud, skidding to a halt and glancing back at the cloud, panting. "He's...fast...and powerful...there's no way I'll be able to beat him through sheer force alone..." the fox groanted to himself, watching as Kinshou dissipated the smoke cloud with a flick of his wrist. "And with him moving as fast as he does, keeping him in one spot to use a curse is going to be extremely difficult..."

"You can only try and avoid me for so long," Kinshou responded, lifting up two of his fingers. The tips began glowing a deep purple, the taller fox winding up his arm and abruptly swinging them forth, slinging a blade of dark energy towards Tails.

The younger fox barely managed to duck under the attack; this time, he managed to see Kinshou charging at him. "Gotta make this quick..." Tails grunted, quickly beginning to doodle a circular design on the floor in front of him using his fingers and a trail of dark magic.

Kinshou furrowed his brow upon noticing this, abruptly skidding to a halt as Tails finished the glowing array. He looked up slightly, just in time to notice his opponent abruptly veer to the side, going around the curse marking to get to him. Tails' eyes widened, and he quickly kicked himself off of the ground, cartwheeling onto the other side of the curse mark, landing a little unsteadily on his feet. Kinshou furrowed his brow; a somewhat comical came of cat-and-mouse ensued, Kinshou attempting to catch Tails, only for the fox to hop across the curse mark in an attempt to avoid him. The demons continued to watch intently, Milio's head tilting about slightly. "Oohh...dizzy..."

Finally, one of Tails' attempts at evading ended in a bit of a failure, his foot tripping slightly over his robe and resulting in the smaller fox falling flat on his face. Raiu let out a gasp as Tails went to lean up; however, this gave Kinshou all of the time he needed to grab Tails by his ankle. "Gotcha."

With this comment, Kinshou made a powerful slinging motion, tossing Tails towards one of the walls. The fox boy, however, managed to generate a wall of dark energy strong enough to soften his momentum, allowing him to gently slide to the floor. He looked up; Kinshou hadn't advanced yet, instead taking the time to catch his breath after all of the running Tails had put him through. It had struck the fox as a little odd that he didn't even attempt to hop over the curse mark, or even just dispel it; he knew for a fact that Lyla would have been able to dispel any marking he could lay out.

A plan had, by now, slowly began forming in Tails' head as Kinshou managed to catch his breath enough to charge once again, hands glowing a bright purple. "I've had enough playing games for now," he uttered, the purple energy suddenly forming into what looked to be claws.

Tails' eyes widened slightly, the fox quickly spacing his legs out to give him a better footing. "I hope I remember how to do this..." he uttered, quickly planting the fingers of one of his hands onto the palm of his glove.

Kinshou blinked upon noticing this, but didn't stop, quickly taking notice of the series of markings that were planted on Tails' glove. "Hmph...you're making a curse marking on your glove...attempting to plant it on me with a physical attack."

The older fox lunged towards Tails; he quickly ducked under the arm, only to receive a knee to the forehead that sent him toppling backwards. He landed in a sitting position, looking up as Kinshou approached, a little slower then before; the smaller fox was a tad disoriented from the blow, his vision swaying about hazily. "It's time I finished this," Kinshou uttered bluntly, generating another sizeable orb of dark energy in his grasp. "I must say, you've sorely disappointed me, Prower."

Tails looked up slightly, eyes still churning as his vision began very slowly adjusting itself. Kinshou was standing directly in front of him, spell still charged and ready to fire. Raiu's eyes widened in anxiety, Milio and Kentan exchanging a glance. "Anything you'd like to say in your defense?" Kinshou asked lowly.

"Y-...yeah," Tails responded lowly, suddenly adopting a toothy smirk. "Shoulda payed more attention."

Kinshou furrowed his brow at this, just in time for Tails to lean back slightly, planting his palm on the ground behind him; suddenly causing a sizeable array to appear around him and begin glowing brightly. The older fox's eyes widened slightly as the array began expanding outwards, giving him no time to move before it encompassed the two of them. "You...got arrogant..." the smaller fox responded, slowly staggering to his feet and rubbing his head.

"How did...you..." Kinshou uttered lowly, looking around as some bolts of dark energy began crackling about.

"While you were taking your sweet time to approach me, I was using my tails to draw another array behind me," Tails responded as-a-matter-of-factly, finally managing to compose himself. His namesakes were tilted upwards, revealing the tips of them glowing a bright purple. "As for the array on my hand..."

He lifted his palm up to Kinshou for him to see. The older fox's eyes widened in realization, uttering, "It wasn't an offensive curse at all...it was designed to expand the area of effect of another curse mark...you had this planned all along!"

Tails continued to smile back with a slight sway. "I...figured it was only a matter of time before you got cocky and made a slip up like that...if this were any other normal fight, you'd have me beat..." Kinshou had fallen silent, closing his eyes as Tails motioned towards Kinshou himself. "I'm sure you know what array I have set up now."

"Power Blockage...of course," Kinshou uttered with a slight sigh. "Take advantage of a higher power opponent by bottling up their power and rendering them immobile..."

"If you were any more powerful, you'd be experiencing more than that..." Tails responded, soon noticing that the bullet Kinshou had been preparing to fire starting to begin sparking and fluctuating. "...though that's probably going to hurt regardless."

Kinshou looked down at the spell he had been charging, Tails quickly hopping out of the array right as it detonated, generating a sizeable smoke cloud that caused all three demons to wince. "Kinshou?" Milio asked with a hint of anxiety.

The smoke didn't clear itself as quickly as it had before; however, it did soon clear, allowing for a slighlyt charred Kinshou to be seen, still standing. He coughed slightly as the array underneath him began dissipating. "Tch...you're still not experienced enough in curses to be able to keep one active without being inside of it," Kinshou uttered, stepping forward. Tails pursed his lips together, taking a slight step back as Kinshou approached him. The older fox closed his eyes. "...of course, the fact remains that you fared better than I had first expected. Having been able to outsmart one of the top prefects in the entire academy at your level..."

He looked away slightly. "The only other occasion I've ever heard of that happening is with your father." This comment seemed to lighten Tails' mood and bring a smile to his face. Kinshou turned back to him, saying, "I'll alert the Headmaster and let him know that you've passed your test."

"No need."

Both warlock's eyes widened and they quickly whirled around, immediately taking notice of the tall, muscular, black-furred wolf standing on the other side of the room, cloak draped over his shoulders, and a teenaged, gray-furred wolf standing by his side in a lighter black coat. Tails and Kinshou quickly got on one knee, the demons hopping to their side and mimicking the motion; sans Milio and Kentan, who were unable to do this without flopping onto their swollen middles. "H-Headmaster..."

"Rise," the wolf uttered, prompting Tails, Kinshou, and Raiu to get back to their feet. "I spectated the entire match."

"R-...really...?" Tails murmured lowly, looking away in embarrassment; the fact that his superior had seen how badly he had been tossed around wasn't a very consoling thought.

The wolf nodded. "While I will admit you're not on the level of Amadeus just yet, you're making decent progress. And for that, I believe a reward is in order." He snapped his fingers. "Raibaru."

The gray-furred wolf stepped forward, reaching into his coat and pulling out some sort of small, hexagon-shaped object with an array on it. Tails blinked in surprise. "That's a..."

"A Demon Mark," the Headmaster responded with a slight nod. "When used by a powerful enough warlock, it will unlock the full potential of their demon partner and drastically increase their power."

Tails and Raiu exchanged a glance as the other wolf, Raibaru, placed the object in the younger fox's hand. He looked it over with a slight blink, Raibaru murmuring, "Keep in mind that only the higher-ranked warlocks are even given access to this magic, let alone even be able to master it. You should be thankful Headmaster Akumu decided you were worthy enough to be given it."

Tails looked back up at Raibaru, then at the Headmaster, Akumu. He nodded to both of them, bowing. "Thank you very much sir. I will make sure to learn to use my gift well."

"I hope so," Akumu responded, glancing at the smaller fox and Raiu. "You're being sent on another mission."

Both blinked and looked up in surprise, Raiu murmuring, "R-...really...?"

Raibaru nodded. "We've detected some...questionable activity near an abandoned settlement, and we're sending you to investigate."

Tails and Raiu exchanged another glance, the demon managing a slight smile. "You're not going alone, of course," Raibaru added, earning a glance from the duo again. "We're sending a pair of prefects with you to oversee your progress."

"Oh...well...alright," Tails responded with a nod.

"I would volunteer, but..." Kinshou began, brushing some of the dust off of his robe. "The last time I took a Power Blockage curse, all of my spells kept backfiring on me for the rest of the day. I'm afraid I can't help you here."

Tails looked back at Kinshou with a nod. "It's okay. Thanks for your help."

He extended a hand to the older fox, Kinshou looking down at it for a moment before slowly accepting it and shaking. "You're welcome."

"Head to the portal room. You'll receive your mission specifics there," Akumu responded, turning away with Raibaru. "Good luck." With this comment, both vanished amidst a pillar of dark energy.

Tails nodded back and prepared to walk off, Kinshou looking after him. "Be wary, Prower," he muttered, Tails stopping for a moment. "You have a very envious position. Even if you haven't reached your full potential yet, don't be surprised if there is anyone wanting to outdo you out of spite or jealousy."

Both foxes had fallen silent, Raiu trotting after Tails and looking at him. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks," the smaller fox responded, the two of them stepping through the warp panel that had brought them to the room in the first place.


	7. A Disturbance

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 7-A Disturbance

Tails and Raiu appeared amidst a flash of purple light, appearing back in the warp room, where a few other warlocks and demons were headed off to do their own missions. During this time, Tails had slowly looked down at the Demon Mark in his hand, Raiu following his gaze. The fox pocketed the object in his robe, Raiu coughing lightly. "What do ya think Kinshou was talking about earlier...?"

The younger fox shook his head, looking at Raiu. "I'm not sure." Kinshou's words played through his head again, prompting Tails to shake his head about to clear them from his thoughts. "Let's not worry about it just yet. We've got a mission to accomplish."

"Indeed." Tails and Raiu blinked and turned to face in front of them, where they noticed two figures materializing amidst the nearby shadows. The taller materialized first; a wolf with jet-black skin wearing an equally dark robe, the only part of him that wasn't completely dark being his green eyes. Next to him was a shorter, red-furred fox with a belt around his waist, hanging from it being a somewhat long rapier. "Miles Prower, I assume...?"

"Call me Tails, please," the fox responded, lifting a hand up slightly. "Are you the prefects that're supposed to be helping us with this mission?"

"Overseeing is a better term," the fox responded, prompting the wolf to close his eyes; once his eyes had been shut, Tails would have completely believed it if he looked more like a shadow than an actual living being. "But yes. I am Lorak, my warlock partner is Rayvar."

The wolf, Rayvar, bowed in response, Tails and Raiu nodding. "And what does our mission entail?" the hybrid asked.

"As the Headmaster has no doubt told you, we've found some questionable activity near an abandoned settlement," Lorak explained, turning around. "We're going there to determine the cause and remove it. Maybe if you perform adequately enough, you'll receive a reward."

Tails and Raiu exchanged another glance as Rayvar began stepping away; though it seemed more like gliding given how silent his footsteps were. The same went for Lorak, though his movements were actually visible. "Come."

The duo followed them towards another portal, the demon standing at the ready allowing them passage. All four entered the array and vanished amidst a flash of light, quickly reappearing at their destination. Tails ad Raiu looked up; they were back in the barren wastes of the Hellfields, although Tails was barely able to make out some buildings nearby. "Let's get moving."

Rayvar and Lorak stepped towards said buildings, the duo following after them and soon arriving in what they assumed was the town square. All of the buildings were almost completely dilapidated, several of them looking close to falling apart; it was a wonder they were still standing. A few other broken objects were strewn about; broken street lamps, smashed benches, and a fountain that, surprisingly, seemed mostly unharmed. Tails and Raiu looked around, the fox murmuring, "Y'know...I thought there was an outsider settlement here..."

"There was," Lorak responded, nodding as Rayvar looked around slightly. "One of the very few that still persisted around these parts. We never attacked because they didn't pose a threat to us, and they were wise enough not to rouse our anger." The fox closed his eyes with a sigh. "Which makes me ponder how it could have ended up looking like this over the course of a day."

Tails' eyes widened, and Raiu looked around with an anxious expression. "B-but this place looks like it's been battered for years! All this happened over the course of a day?"

"It's obviously connected to the disturbance we felt," Rayvar suddenly said, startling Tails and Raiu for how sudden his comment was.

"Indeed," Lorak responded with a nod.

Tails and Raiu exchanged another glance, looking around. "Well..." The fox had began leisurely stepping towards the middle of the town square. "It wasn't us, that much we know...I highly doubt the Famulus, as they aren't prone to such destruction. The surroundings also take out the possibility of a demon attack; the fact this place is still standing means that this attack was more coordinated and focused. If this were a random demon attack, the damage would be much more widespread."

He turned to the others again. "Basically, this destruction is too much to be Famulus, and too little to be haywire demons. It's some other source."

Lorak looked away slightly, closing his eyes in thought and giving out a low hum. Raiu pursed his lips as Tails planted a hand on the fountain in the middle. "And I'm fairly sure we'll find it...right HERE!"

The fox abruptly kicked off of the ground as the fountain seemed to explode outwards; not in shattered rubble, but with wisps of dark energy that lashed out at the ground and knocked over a nearby building. Raiu, Rayvar, and Lorak all turned around, the latter two much less surprised than Raiu, who had given a jump from the sudden explosion. Tails jumped back to their sides, Lorak murmuring, "You could've given us enough time to concoct a strategy before leaping into battle like that..."

Tails pursed his lips slightly and hung his head with a sigh as the smoke began clearing, a light coughing being heard. "G-gah...dammit, you knew we were here all along?"

"Your camoflauge wasn't very convincing," Rayvar responded flatly, opening his eyes slightly.

During this time, the smoke finally cleared, revealing two figures. One of them was a rather small, gray-furred mouse in what looked to be a tight-fitting jumpsuit colored red with a black array on the front with lines extending across the rest of the outfit. The other was a taller dragon with pure white skin and wild blue hair, wearing a similar outfit. The mouse continued to cough, Tails clenching his fists and shouting, "Who are you?"

The mouse finally managed to compose himself once the dragon flicked a wrist about, dispelling the smoke cloud with an invisible force. He looked up, managing a smirk, and responded, "Hmhmhm...my name's Baril. And this is my demon partner, Musou."

"A pleasure," the dragon responded with a slight bow.

Tails gave a slight blink and straightened himself out. "W-wait...you're a warlock?"

Baril gave a nod and rubbed a knuckle against his chest. "Indeed I am little foxy."

Raiu looked at his warlock partner for a moment, murmuring, "Then...are you here to help us look for the disturbance...?"

"You moron..." Rayvar suddenly appeared behind Baril, summoning a rather long and thin blade and putting it up to the mouse's throat. "They ARE the disturbance. Not every warlock in the world is allied with us."

The hybrid's eyes widened as Baril gave a slight gulp, his smirk turning into a fearful expression as he glanced at Rayvar slightly. "Come quietly, and maybe you won't be used as reagents."

Baril frowned lightly, Musou glancing at Rayvar slightly. "I think not." With this comment, the dragon lifted a hand, suddenly blasting Rayvar with a seemingly invisible force, sending him toppling backwards and skidding to a halt. Baril rubbed his throat where the wolf's blade had been touching, Musou turning to the other trio with glowing eyes.

Tails and Raiu got into a battle stance, the hybrid murmuring, "Wh-what did he just do now...?"

"Telekinesis," Lorak uttered, drawing his weapon and putting a paw behind his back. "He's a psychic."

Musou took a slight step forward as Musou gave off a few more hoarse snickers, lifting up both of his now glowing hands. "My, you're a smart one. But having smarts alone won't help you here!"

With this comment, the mouse abruptly began letting loose a large spray of dark bullets, forcing the trio to quickly slpit up as the attacks bombarded the ground, generating several explosions. "Dance, dance!" the mouse shrieked.

"H-how is he managing to use such powerful attacks so fast?" Tails grunted, Raiu managing to scoop him up and land on top of the roof of a building, the duo barely managing to stay on it and avoid falling through. Baril pointed his hands towards the duo, only to be interrupted when Rayvar appeared behind him once again, seemingly right out of the shadows below.

"Die." He went to swipe his longsword at Baril's head, only for it to be grabbed in midflight by Musou's claw, the dragon remaining silent as they struggled for a few moments. Musou finally tossed Rayvar back, the wolf skidding to a halt silently.

"Gah...thanks for the save there," Baril remarked with a slight sigh, Musou nodding as Lorak hopped to his partner's side. "I'll deal with the two pipsqueaks, you handle them."

"Understood," Musou responded with a nod, his eyes beginning to glow once again. Lorak and Rayvar both charged forward and attempted to swing at Musou, however, he expertly avoided each swipe with incredible agility and precision, almost as if he knew what maneuvers they were using. "You can't hit me, no matter how hard you try."

The dragon finally managed to grab both of their weapons, his eyes glowing even brighter and beginning to seemingly leak dark energy. "And now you're going to pay for it."

"I think not," Lorak responded, abruptly gripping his rapier; Musou's eyes widened as the weapon suddenly exploded, sending a few burning embers flying off to the side as all three participants landed away from each other, Musou looking slightly burnt. "Weren't expecting that, were you?"

Musou frowned slightly; behind them, Baril had gone back to firing off at a rapid pace towards Raiu and Tails, the demon helping his less agile warlock partner to avoid the swift attacks. "You can only run for so long!" Baril shrieked.

Tails grunted lightly, glancing at Raiu; the hybrid let out a yelp and suddenly collapsed with a slight cracking sound, hitting his knees and toppling to a halt given their momentum. Tails rolled slightly as well, using what agility he could muster to leap to Raiu's side and hop next to him. "Raiu!"

"Still haven't healed completely from that last fight with Milio...ow..." Raiu groaned lowly, gripping at his legs.

Tails grunted slightly, barely noticing Baril firing off several more attacks towards them. The fox's eyes widened, and he bit his lip. "I hope this works...!"

With this comment, the fox quickly held up a pair of glowing hands, a barrier of dark energy forming in front of them. The surface seemed to be rather glossy however; all of Baril's attacks impacted, only to be abruptly bounced right back, impacting with the mouse's other spells and generating several loud explosions. Baril scowled at this, shouting, "You can't outlast me, you little twerp! I have more power than you garden variety warlocks!"

The fox groaned lowly, his knees buckling slightly under the force of the attack. "H-...he's right...his spell power borders on that of Kinshou, and yet he's able to stilll attack so rapidly...!"

A small amount of blood had began trickling down Tails' chin as a result of him biting down on his lip too hard, the fox looking down at it. "...THERE!"

With one powerful thrust, the fox abruptly sent the shield he had created towards Baril; the mouse's eyes widened as all of his attacks seemed to come back even faster than before. He was completely unable to move out of the way as all of his attacks and the wall itself smashed into him, generating a rather loud explosion and prompting Musou and the prefects to look to the side. "Huh?"

Tails let out a slight pant and hit his knees slightly, lightly rubbing a thumb over the puncture wound his own teeth had created while fishing in his robe. He suddenly pulled out the Demon Mark given to him previously, and began smearing his blood on the array on the hexagon-shaped trinket. Said array began glowing rather brightly and giving off a hiss, Musou furrowing his brow. "What is he...?"

The fox quickly turned towards Raiu, staggering to his side. "This oughta be more than enough to send 'em packing...!"

With this comment, the fox abruptly planted the bloodied side of the Mark on Raiu's chest, the hybrid's eyes widening as the hissing abruptly picked up in volume, giving off an even brighter light. "A-aagghh..."

Rayvar furrowed his brow as Lorak stepped back slightly, Musou turning to face the duo as the light began getting brighter; it was uncharacteristically lighter-colored than the typical purple or dark-tinted light the duo was accustomed to, and came fairly close to momentatily blinding everyone there. Tails had even forced himself to look away as the Mark gave off another hiss; said hiss was quickly replaced with a crackle, Tails' eyes widening. "That doesn't sound go-"

The fox's comment was immediately cut off when the epicenter of where the Mark and skin met seemingly exploded, sending both flying backwards amidst several streams of black and white energy. Raiu was thrown into a nearby building that abruptly began collapsing on top of him, while Tails was knocked in front of the injured Baril as he clambered to his feet. "Ggh...what was..."

"He attempted to use the Demon Mark," Lorak commented with a blink. "And...it backfired on him."

This was met with hysterical laughter from Baril as he slowly staggered to his feet, rubbing the dirt from his face. "W-...wow...you must REALLY not be that skilled!"

Tails slowly attempted to get back to his feet, though this seemed to be much easier said than done, as his strength seemed to have been sapped and his legs quivered under his weight. The fox was quickly knocked to the side by a backhanded strike from Baril, who had began strolling over to where Raiu had been blasted. Before the mouse could get much closer, however, Raiu had suddenly shot out of the wreckage, suddenly slamming a foot into Baril's face with surprising speed, sending him flying backwards. "Guh!"

Rayvar and Lorak stepped to the side as Baril was sent hurtling past them, Musou blinking as he watched his warlock partner smash into a pile of debris. "Baril?"

Raiu landed back on the ground in a slight crouching position, eyes wide. "Did...did it work...?"

The hybrid was abruptly interrupted when he hit his knees with a hoarse pant, shivering and coughing up a small amount of blood. Musou narrowed his gaze and began stepping towards Raiu; Lorak went to give chase, but was pulled back by Rayvar, who narrowed his gaze. "It gave you a spike of energy, but not enough for it to activate fully..."

Musou had finally stepped in front of Raiu, the hybrid looking up slightly as the dragon scooped him up by the neck, setting him on his feet and glaring at him. His eyes glowed even brighter. "Hmm...you seem like you'll do just fine. This town was lacking in considerable power."

Raiu's eyes widened slightly as Baril hopped forward, smirking widely. "Ooohhh, yes, wonderful idea! It's been a while since I've had an actual warlock demon!"

Tails attempted to sit up with a groan, though he was unable to completely do so and fell back, barely clinging to consciousness. Lorak blinked slightly, murmuring, "What is he-"

"Of course..." Rayvar uttered, narrowing his gaze. "They're with THEM..."

Baril had cast a glance at Rayvar and Lorak, frowning. His hands began glowing as he turned back to them, murmuring, "I'll keep them busy, you tenderize the little guy."

Musou nodded, Rayvar and Lorak arming themselves as Tails sat up a little more. "N-no...Raiu..."


	8. Suuhai

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 8-Suuhai

Rayvar and Lorak shifted themselves about slightly as Baril turned completely to them, smirking wider as the dark energy cloaking his hands began getting even denser. "I can't believe we were dense enough not to realize who you two were..." Lorak uttered, gripping his rapier tighter. "I feel stupid."

"Don't worry," Baril remarked with an evil smirk. "When I'm through with you, you'll never feel anything ever again!"

Several bullets of dark energy were fired off at the duo, though they both avoided with great agility. Once he had landed, Lorak dashed forward with great speed, Rayvar lifting up his sword and plunging it into the ground. This sent a wave of black energy shooting along the ground towards Lorak and Baril, suddenly expelling several spikes once it had reached the fox. Said vulpine abruptly leaped off of them and into the air, said spikes now lunging towards Baril.

"Ggh!" The mouse quickly blasted them apart with several dark bullets, not noticing that Lorak was beginning to fall back down towards him, rapier at the ready. Baril only then looked up, his eyes widening as Lorak delivered a downwards, diagtonal cut to Baril's body, suddenly expelling a blast of fire from the tip in the process that sent him flying backwards. "GAH!"

Musou's eyes trailed to Baril as he landed with a painful thud, his blood now splattering on the ground from his rather large wound. Lorak stood up at this, glaring at Musou as Tails continued to try and sit up, but to no avail. "Let him go, Suuhai, and I promise we'll give you a fair trial."

"S-...Suu-...Suuhai...?" Tails echoed, collapsing back in exhaustion once again.

The dragon narrowed his gaze, his eyes suddenly glowing a bright purple. "I think not." With this comment, he abruptly whirled towards Raiu, the hybrid's own eyes abruptly shooting open; his own changed from gold to the same shade of purple Musou's had become. Lorak went to step forward again, only for Rayvar to abruptly warp in front of him, stopping the fox. "What're...?"

"Your master's wise to stop you from making any rash decisions," Musou murmured lowly. "I currently have this little demon captive in my Mind Crush. All it'll take is a small amount of pressure for me to completely destroy his mind, leaving him an empty shell."

Tails' eyes widened as Rayvar scowled slightly. "Hmph...that's just the kind of twisted magic we expected from you Suuhai. You never cease to surprise us."

Musou kept his gaze on Raiu, but responded with a very low chuckle. "Come now...those words stem from jealousy."

"Like hell," Lorak murmured, rolling his eyes. "What we feel for you is pity. Forsaking our ways for your own selfish goals."

"And the power that comes along with it?" Musou echoed, seemingly not noticing Tails finally managing to struggle to his feet. "Call us whatever you will, the fact remains that we will be the true rulers of Sanctimonia. And when that time comes...you will not be able to stop us."

Lorak and Rayvar narrowed their gaze, barely noticing Tails generating some sort of disc of dark energy in his hand. Musou's gaze only now travelled ever so slightly to the fox as he flung it forward with a shout. "Let him go!"

In response to this, Musou moved to the side slightly, moving Raiu in the path and prompting the disc to slice right through the hybrid's side, leaving a very large gash and spurting a large amount of blood all over the ground. Despite this, the hybrid only let out a muffled grunt, his gaze kept blank and focused on Musou's. Tails' eyes widened in horror upon noticing this, his body abruptly slammed to the ground by several black whips extending from the ground. "F-...finish it now..." Baril snarled, just slightly looking up and lifting a glowing hand; the source of the attack on Tails.

Musou nodded, turning back to Raiu and opening his eyes even wider; a somewhat audible, almost mechanical whine was heard all throughout the area, Raiu's body beginning to tremble violently as a smirk was slowly carved into Musou's snout. "Say goodnight...little de-"

The dragon was abruptly interrupted when Raiu's eyes changed from purple to a bright white, prompting Musou to blink as some invisible force abruptly blasted the duo apart, Musou toppling to the ground with a painful thud as Raiu flopped down in front of Tails. Said fox weakly looked up at him, mumbling, "R-...Raiu...?"

The bindings Baril had kept on him were abruptly cut off when Rayvar stepped forcefully on the mouse's back, resulting in a strangled squeak from him. Musou attempted to stand up, but was cut off when Lorak planted a hand on his forehead, seemingly expelling an invisible force that knocked the dragon out cold. "Got them."

Rayvar and Lorak both glanced over at Tails and Raiu, the former now cradling the heavily injured demon in a panic, seemingly crying as he did so and trembling. Rayvar narrowed his gaze as Lorak cast a glance at him. "For his sake...we won't tell the Headmaster."

"For his sake..." Lorak echoed, casting a slight glance at Tails and Raiu once again.

**-Later-**

"Let me get this straight...the disturbance was caused by a pair of Suuhai operatives?"

Rayvar and Lorak both nodded, staring ahead at Akumu and Raibaru as they listened to the tale, all four of them now in the Headmaster's quarters. "That's correct. We managed to subdue them both; unfortunately, Prower and his demon were heavily injured. Again."

Akumu closed his eyes as Raibaru spoke up. "They faced off with two members of the Suuhai; I'm surprised neither of them died."

During this time, the warp panel in the back of the room abruptly activated; Kinshou, Milio, and Kentan stepepd out, soon followed by Kachimi and Sawagasu. "We heard something happened," the red-furred warlock murmured.

Akumu nodded as Rayvar and Lorak glanced at the arriving group. "Yes. On our mission with Prower, we were confronted by two Suuhai operatives."

Kinshou and Kachimi both blinked in shock, Milio and Kentan exchanging a gasp. "Oh no!" the otter remarked, pausing to glance at Kinshou. "What's a Suuhai again?"

Kachimi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly...dumbass." He shook his head and glanced at Milio. "Suuhai is the name given to a group of warlocks who have forsaken our ways and abandoned our teachings; in a way, you could call them heretics."

"I would if I knew what that meant," Milio responded dumbly, smiling dopily.

Kachimi's fingers twitched as he attempted to restrain himself, Kinshou glancing at Milio. "Suuhai have lost their minds and bodies by steeping even further in black magic than we have; they've become insane and twisted, wanting nothing but chaos and power; truly, they are a threat comparable to, if not even greater than, the Famulus."

"...who also hunt them relentlessly," Akumu added, drumming his claws together. "Unfortunately for us, they tend to group our two factions together as an equal threat instead of focusing on the more dangerous." The tall wolf sighed and hugn his head slightly. "If it were completely necessary I'd swallow my pride and side with the Famulus if it meant eradicating those damnable heretics from Sanctimonia."

The group fell silent for several moments, exchanging glances until Akumu spoke up again. "Miles will be out of commission for a week or so; in the meantime, I trust you all to cover for his field assignments."

"Of course, sir," Kinshou responded with a nod, Kentan and Milio bowing slightly.

"In the meantime..." Akumu slowly glanced at Kachimi and Sawagasu. "I want you two to gather as much information as you can from our two captives."

This was met with a sinister smirk from both of them, Sawagasu cracking his knuckles. "Oohh, I thought you'd NEVER ask..."

With this comment, the five of them exitted the room, leaving Akumu, Raibaru, Rayvar, and Lorak alone. The two wolves glanced at their prefects, Akumu murmuring, "Ensure that Miles gets his homework; whether or not he's incapacitated is no excuse for him to miss out on that."

Both nodded in response, warping away by seemingly melting into the floor like a shadow, leaving the Headmaster and his demon partner alone.

-**Meanwhile-**

"They were captured?"

"It appears so, sir," two robed figures responded with a nod. "Baril and Musou allowed themselves to be captured."

This was met with a sigh from the very muscular figure standing before them; he didn't wear a robe like the other warlocks, instead only wearing a pair of black shorts. The figure himself was a maned lion with yellow fur and a reddish-brown mane; he seemed to have some unusual tattooes all over his torso. The lion sighed. "Those two bumbling morons...I'm not even sure they'd be worth saving."

The other two robed figured exchanged a glance, and prepared to speak, only to be interrupted by a shout. "NO!"

All three looked to a figure behind the muscular lion; another, younger-looking female lion wearing a purple bikini-type bra and skirt; despite this, she seemed a bit rotund, one of the more obvious causes being the plate of sweets by her side that she kept picking up and cramming into her mouth. The lion turned to face her completely, echoing, "No...?"

"No," the lioness responded, licking her paws rather messily of what she had been eating and wiping her mouth off. "You're gonna get someone to go back and get them back! We can't have 'em spilling precious information! Got it, Frye?"

The lion, Frye, paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, mistress." He turned towards the two robed figures, murmuring, "Send our two infiltrators to collect them."

"Yes sir," both figures responded with a nod, exitting the room rather hastily.

During this time, Frye had slowly glanced back at the lionness. "You expect them to actually spill precious information...?"

The lionness didn't respond for a few moments, keeping her attention on cramming her face. "...yeah, I do. You said it yourself, they're bumbling morons."

Frye paused for a moment, then nodded. "Understood."

"Although..." The lionness placed the now empty plate to the side and leaned back, setting her hands on her slightly protruding middle. "The fact they were actually able to capture our operatives worries me a little...perhaps we should start taking more offensive measures against the Academy."

"I agree," Frye responded with another nod. "What do you propose we do, Alicia?"

The lionness, Alicia, remained silent, closing her eyes and licking her lips over slightly. "We plan."


	9. Soul Eater

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 9-Soul Eater

The sound of the school bell echoed through the halls, the warlocks and their demon partners filing out of the classrooms to head to their respective assignments and whatnot. "Are you sure we should be at school right now...? You're still fairly injured..."

Tails cast an incredulous look at Raiu. "Me? Compared to you...you're in even worse shape. I'm surprised you're even walking at the moment."

The hybrid looked away slightly; only a few days after their battle against Baril and Musou, the two had requested to be put back into the action. Although the Headmaster was cautious and worried about doing so, he eventually opted to grant them their request. As the duo walked, Raiu occasionally tugged at the bandages around his legs. "C-c'mon, I'm feeling better..."

Before Tails could respond, Raiu yelped as his legs buckled underneath him, forcing the fox to catch him before he fell over. "...uh huh. Much better."

"Better than I was before..." Raiu mumbled lowly, looking away as Tails sat him back up.

"Come on, my injuries weren't as severe, but yours are still an issue," Tails murmured, scooping Raiu up in his arms. "I'm taking you home."

"B-but..." Raiu could do nothing to object as Tails turned around.

...right in Sabishii's face as he stood behind them rather closely. "Awh, that's sweet..."

"GAH!" Tails yelped, falling backwards with Raiu in his lap as the kitsune giggled madly. Both blushed furiously as Tails shouted, "D-dammit Sabishii! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, sorry..." the kitsune murmured, looking away slightly as his tails flicked about. Lyla approached from behind.

"Guys, the Headmaster told me you have an assignment." Tails and Raiu blinked, exchanging a glance as they both stood up.

"Th-that seems a little odd..." the hybrid murmured. "He was worried about us not being able to hold our own at school, and yet he's sending us on an assignment?"

Tails accepted the page and looked it over with a blink. "This isn't any normal assignment...it's more like something to help with our current dilemma."

Raiu blinked and looked over the page as Lyla cleared her throat to speak. "Rumor's been spreading that one of our work mines is going to be having a rebel uprising soon. A small one, but still an uprising. So in order to keep them in line, you two're going down there and instilling some fear into them."

"...via soul absorption," Tails finished, looking up from the page with a blink. "Which'll be perfect for getting Raiu back into fighting condition!"

The hybrid looked around slightly, then over at Tails. "Um...I think I was asleep for that class...what's that?"

All three glanced at Raiu for a moment as Tails rolled up the page. "I'll...explain on the way." He nodded to Lyla and Sabishii. "Thanks for the message."

"Any time!" the cat called, dragging Sabishii away as the duo walked off; some more tripping on Raiu's part, and they eventually arrived at the teleporter room. Tails showed off the page Lyla had given him, prompting the gate keeper to activate the device and allow them in.

Within an instant, the duo had arrived; they were outside of some cave with a few train tracks laid here and there, some mine cars occasionally passing about, either being pushed by other people or mindless demons. "So this is one of the work mines...?" Raiu murmured, glancing at the cliff wall, and then the blank plains behind them.

"Well, we're outside of one," Tails explained, glancing at Raiu. "The work mines are where all of our magic gems and minerals are gathered. We have prisoners do the work for us...either that or mindless demon servants."

Raiu looked around, taking note of the several people hacking away at the walls with pickaxes. "...I see..." The hybrid glanced at Tails. "So...about this soul absorption..."

The fox smiled and nodded. "Right! It's a special ability all demon partners can use." He approached one of the workers, who glanced at him with a blank expression, blinking as the fox set a hand on the worker's back; a marking appeared underneath and he was abruptly paralyzed with a light grunt. "Basically, the demon 'eats' the soul of whatever target they want, takings its life power for themselves. This is used to either heal injuries or amplify power...but if one isn't careful, the demon might go crazy off of the raw power being siphoned."

Tails pat the back of the slave he had paralyzed. "The stronger the target, the more power is siphoned. Which is why we only use the soul absorption technique on weak opponents or uncooperative drudges; if we were to use it on those stronger, like, say, higher ranking Famulus, the demon'd go insane from the power." The fox nodded. "Got all of that?"

Raiu nodded slowly. "Uh huh..." He paused for a moment, pursing his lips. "I, ah...actually remembered all of it...I-I just like hearing you explain it..." He blushed brightly and looked away.

The fox simply chuckled and shook his head. "Thought as much. You were so intrigued by that lesson it was impossible to believe you were asleep at the time."

"I WAS, but then that part of the lecture woke me up..." Raiu murmured lowly, looking away. "That, and the little boost from the test subject."

"Moving on, though," Tails remarked, looking at the page. "Headmaster's given us permission to absorb as many as is needed until you're back in working condition. Just be careful not to get drunk off of power, 'kay?"

The hybrid smiled back. "I wouldn't worry 'bout that..." He proceeded to approach the paralyzed drudge, whose eyes widened in horror as Raiu grasped a hold of him. "I'm gonna enjoy this..."

With this comment, Raiu opened his mouth, abruptly biting into the base of the neck of the drudge. His eyes shot open and a choked scream came out, some blood seeping from the wound Raiu had created. The demon's eyes glowed blue for a moment as he opened his mouth slightly and leaned back; from the wound he had created, a translucent, light purple, jelly-like substance oozed out, wafting through the air like some sort of cloud. The other end was lodged deep in Raiu's throat; he made an occasional gulp every few seconds, the cloud being siphoned down his throat and out of the slave's wound. His body began showing obvious signs of falling apart, skin becoming a pasty white and his hair graying, some of it falling out. The drudge continued to twitch as Raiu tilted his head back, making a few more powerful gulps; a somewhat sizeable bulge would travel down his neck with each swallow. After about a minute and a half of this process, the cloud finally left the wound completely and disappeared down Raiu's maw, the now lifeless shell of the slave collapsing to the ground with a light thud. The hybrid licked his lips with a light pant, lowering his head. "Aaahhh...that felt good..."

Tails smiled and pat Raiu's back. "How was it?"

"It's been a while since I've been able to do that...I almost forgot how delicious it was," the demon murmured back, glancing at Tails. "As energizing as it was...I don't think I'm at full power just yet."

The fox nodded back. "In that case..." He glanced back at the other slaves, who had stared with a mortified expression. "...we should probably get to work convincing the rest of these drudges that rebelling against us is a pointless tactic."

**-Meanwhile-**

"This is YOUR fault! Your attack didn't kill him off! If it had, then it woulda scared those other two enough for them not to attack!"

Musou looked away from Baril, rolling his eyes slightly. "Please...now's not the time to be arguing. We need to concoct a way to get out."

"Don't get your hopes up." Baril and Musou looked around, taking note of Kinshou standing on the other side of the bars. Behind the fox, Milio and Kentan sat down, current cramming their faces full from a nearby crate of food. "I'm watching you like a hawk."

At this, Milio lifted a hand. "Why? Can't ya watch 'em like a fox?"

"It's a figure of speech," Kinshou mumbled flatly, rubbing his eyes slightly. "No more obscure references from you."

"Nyaaaaaaa..." the otter mumbled with a whine, hanging his head. He was cut off when Kentan crammed a leg of meat into his mouth, bringing his attention back to their gluttonous rampage.

Kinshou turned back to Baril and Musou; during this time, two robed figures had approached, Kinshou exchanging a glance with them. "The Headmaster has decided that the prisoners are to be executed immediately. We will escort them."

The fox nodded to them. "Alright. Be careful, they've still got a bit of fight in them." He stepped to the side, glancing at what looked to be a dark blue gem shaped like a dial. "The color code is green, purple, yellow, red, blue."

One of the robed figures nodded and approached the dial, turning it about; each turn made the gem change colors, shifting it to each of the different colorations Kinshou had outlined. Finally, the gem returned to its blue color; right at that moment, however, a light beeping was heard, followed by a loud crackling as the gem seemingly exploded, sending a powerful current ouwards that knocked the two robed figures flying backwards, slamming into a wall. "Guh!"

Kinshou folded his arms as Milio and Kentan stood up, joining their master's side. "Hmph. Like I'd actually believe your little facade. That was pathetic."

Both very slowly got back to their feet, one of them grunting, "What're...you talking about...?"

"You're a part of the Suuhai, aren't you?" the fox asked, narrowing his gaze and shifting his glasses about. "The Headmaster isn't so barbaric to execute so quickly; they've only been here for a few days. Also...there isn't an immediate escort when execution is decided upon anyway. It's held the day AFTER it's decided upon."

Both robed figures fell silent, the second glancing at his partner. "...I TOLD you it was a stupid idea!"

"Yours was just as bad," the other responded, sighing and pulling off his hood; this revealed his black fur and the very tall, white mohawk sticking from his head. "We've been found regardless..."

Baril gasped as Musou furrowed his brow. "So...they sent them to come and get us. Commanders Chi'Daren and Viridis?"

The other abruptly dissolved, robe and all, even dropping the one on the mohawked figure. Underneath was a more skin-tight black robe that showed off the figure's long, bushy, black tail, a white stripe going along the top; he was obviously a skunk. The other finally reformed itself into a quadrupedal dragon with dirty green skin and glowing yellow eyes. "Please...I've mentioned before, call me Chi," the skunk mused, closing his eyes slightly.

"Well then, Chi," Kinshou mused, narrowing his gaze slightly as Milio and Kentan took a slight step back. "I hope you realize that we're not about to let you make off with our two priosners just that easily."

"We weren't intending on it!" the draon, Viridis, called, smirking widely. "Still doesn't mean we aren't taking them."

The fox rolled his eyes as Milio and Kentan stepped forward. "Nope! Can't let ya do that!" the otter called giddily.

"So...please do us a favor an' leave," Kentan finished with a slight frown. "We won't ask again."

Chi opened his eyes again, reaching into his robe and pulling out what looked to be a flute. "I think not. We came here on a mission, and we won't leave until we've accomplished it."

"Then you've sealed your fate," Kinshou finished, one of his hands beginning to glow purple. "Lucky us; we'll have FOUR of the Suuhai's higher ranking men in our custody..."

**-Meanwhile-**

A few more powerful gulps and a light slurping motion, and yet another jelly cloud was sent sliding down Raiu's throat. He licked his lips and tilted his head back with a pant, letting out a lethargic sigh. "Mrrrr...delicious..."

Tails looked up, standing up from sitting down on a rock and stretching. "Alright, are we all charged up?"

"Mhm..." Raiu responded with a nod, glancing at Tails; the results of his feasting was obvious in his lack of bandages, and the fact that his normally very slim middle now looked to have something fairly larger than a basketball inside, the skin and fur looking just a tad tighter and strained. "But...can't I at least have one more?"

The fox blinked and approached Raiu. "Come on, you're not getting addicted on this, are you...?"

The demon blushed furiously and turned away. "N-no, I just...w-wanted a little treat for myself, is all..."

Tails fell silent, looking around; they had taken out seven of the drudges, and the rest had either fainted from fright or were cowering as far away as they could get amidst the shield of magic that was put up around the area. "Well...I dunno, the Headmaster only said to take what was needed for you to return to full strength..."

Raiu fell silent, looking down with a slight sigh. "Y-...yeah, I suppose you're right. We'd best get going before..." The demon fell silent upon taking notice of a slave approaching from behind Tails, a pickaxe in hand. "Tails, behind you!"

The fox blinked as the weapon was raised; within an instant, the fox had whirled around, firing off a small shot of dark energy that severed the bladed portion from the hilt, knocking it to the ground. "I think we've found our rebel," Tails remarked, quickly plowing a hand into the rebel's body and causing his eyes to widen, paralyzing him in an instant. The fox backed away slightly, murmuring, "I don't think the Headmaster will mind at all if you removed the top threat."

Raiu's face lightened up instantly and he trodded over. "N-no, I don't think he will!"

The demon quickly lunged for the slave, grabbing a hold of him as Tails turned to those left. "Let this be a lesson to the rest of you; we'd better not have anyone else think they can try and rebel, unless you wanna end up as part of a demon's daily diet."

Raiu licked his lips over, opening his mouth in preparation to begin the process. Before he could do so, however, a faint rumbling was heard. Everyone glanced towards the plains, the source of the noise, noticing a dust cloud approaching. Tails narrowed his gaze, murmuring, "On guard, Raiu. We have company."

The demon pouted and tossed the still paralyzed slave aside, stepping next to Tails as the cloud began approaching even faster. A light squint, and the two were able to make it out as a white, tank-looking object with two sizeable spears toted on its sides. Tails' eyes widened. "That's a Famulus war machine!" He turned to the drudges. "MOVE!"

Everyone was quick to heed his warning and moved out of the way, the tank-like object abruptly crashing into the shield and shattering it to pieces; it didn't stop there, and slammed into the cliff wall with a great amount of force, burrowing a fairly large indentation in the rock. Tails and Raiu slowly stood up, quickly taking notice of the drudges as they ran to escape. "No! Dammit!"

The two turned back to the war machine, noticing the cliff wall giving a rumble and upsetting several of the rocks above. Tails and Raiu looked up, watching as several boulders came tumbling down onto the tank. Both winced and looked away, watching as the entire machine was buried underneath rubble. A few moments of silence followed. "...we should probably investigate," Tails murmured. "Proceed with caution."

Both slowly began inching towards the pile of rubble, only to be interrupted when the rocks on top began shifting about slightly. Tails lifted up a hand in preparation to attack, murmuring, "I think someone's trying to come up..."

Before he could say anything else, a rather loud roar was heard from the rubble, followed by the top half of the rubble pile seemingly exploding, sending boulders flying outwards and forcing Tails to put up a shield to keep them from being crushed. They both finally looked up, noticing a figure standing on top of the tank; it was an anthropomorphic lizard-like creature with light blue skin, and a very tall, white mohawk. He wore silvery armor, including a breatplate, pauldrons, armguards and shinguards, and what looked to be a black jumpsuit underneath. The lizard stood up to his full height, opening his eyes and smirking widely, showing off a row of razor-sharp teeth. "Hmph...what do we have here?"

Tails and Raiu entered a defensive stance, the lizard chuckling as he leaped from his perch, landing on the ground in front of the rubble. "I'm disappointed...a shrimpy wizard and his fat little demon. I wanted an actual challenge this time around."

"Who are you?" Tails demanded, now sounding fairly annoyed.

The lizard frowned slightly, folwing his arms. "Awh, did I hurt the little baby's feelings? Boo hoo." Tails let out an annoyed growl as Raiu shifted about worriedly, the lizard smirking again and chuckling. "Well, I might as well appease your curiosity."

With this comment, he pointed forward threateningly. "My name is Victor, second-in-command of the Zealot Division of the Famulus! And I'm here to free all of the slaves being held here!"


	10. The Zealot

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 10-The Zealot

Tails and Raiu fell silent, still staring at the dragon that had identified himself as Victor. "...Zealot Division?" Tails echoed, glancing at Raiu slightly.

"What's that mean?" the demon murmured with a slight blink.

Victor's eye twitched in irritation from Raiu's comment. "It's basically a portion of the Famulus that focuses on enforcement and whatnot. The soldiers patrolling their side of Sanctimonia? They're a part of the Zealot Division. They only send them here if it's something big..."

Both glanced at Victor. "And if this guy is REALLY their second-in-command...it's obviously a big deal."

The dragon smirked back, chuckling. "Yes, that's right." He waved his hands outwards, calling, "This is the largest slave mine in all of the Hellfields, and we're here to liberate them all. So be a good little boy and step out of the way."

Tails furrowed his brow and stepped forward in response, Raiu glancing at him worriedly. "I think not. I am Miles Prower, son of the great warlock Amadeus Prower. And by my family's pride, I will NOT let you get away with this."

Victor fell silent, before recoiling with a mocking shocked expression. "The great warlock Amadeus Prower? Oh noooooo, I'm so scared!" The dragon began prancing about, waving his hands in a mockingly sissified fashion. "Someone help, I'm so scared by a simple name! Waaaahhhh!"

"...you just about done?" Raiu mumbled flatly.

Victor responded to this by lifting up a finger. "One moment." A few moments passed in silence, the only sound being that of the wind and some stray pieces of rock tumbling down. Finally, Victor took a more stable stance, murmuring, "Alright, I'm done. Point being, I don't care who you are; I'm gonna beat you into a bloody pulp all the same unless you back down quietly."

Tails furrowed his brow, both hands glowing faintly. "Didn't you hear me? By my pride as a member of the Prower warlocks..." He lifted both hands towards Victor, both glowing a deep purple. "...I will NOT let you get away with this."

With this comment, several blasts were abruptly fired from Tails' hands, streaking towards Victor. The dragon smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Before the attacks could impact, Victor abruptly vanished, Tails and Raiu blinking in shock. "H-he's gone!"

Tails looked around, just in time for Victor to appear above him, foot stretched upwards. The fox looked up and barely managed to lean back to avoid a downwards axe kick, Victor's talons ripping at his robe as the foot smashed into the ground, overturning several rocks in the process and knocking Tails and Raiu backwards. "S-so powerful..."

Victor retracted his foot with a wicked smirk. "Still feeling confident?"

Raiu glanced at Tails with a nervous expression. "M-maybe we should leave and get help, I don't think we can take him by ourselves..."

The fox fell silent, glancing at Raiu with a serious expression. "Raiu...please understand...I would've done it before..." His gaze went to Victor, who had began stretching. "...but after that little display mocking my family name...I'm going to mount his head over my fireplace."

Tails abruptly stood up, eyes fixated on Victor. "Raiu, I'm going to set up an array that'll boost your abilities, try and keep him off of me."

"Understood," the furry dragon responded with a nod, charging towards Victor.

Said dragon smirked. "Hmph, so now tubby wants a piece of me? Very well."

Raiu furrowed his brow. "Don't get arrogant, gecko." With this comment, he lunged towards Victor, preparing a roundhouse kick; the dragon blocked by holding up an arm, which he used to attempt and grab Raiu's leg. With surprising agility, the demon managed to spin around, plowing his other foot into the side of Victor's head and sending him staggering to the side slightly. The resulting spinning motion forced Raiu into a handstand, the demon landing back on his feet as Victor turned to him with an annoyed glare.

"You're starting to piss me off," he uttered, lunging at Raiu and extending claws from each finger. Raiu blinked in shock and leaned away from each swipe, managing to do so until one of the dragon's claws nicked at his belly. The furry demon winced, Victor shouting, "Come on! I've squashed roaches that were more entertaining than you!"

Raiu barely managed to lean away from another attack, using what energy he had to duck and spear Victor in the stomach, his shoulder barging against armor and catapulting the drgaon backwards. Raiu rubbed at the shoulder he had impacted, wincing. "Ouch...he's tough...not to mention ferocious..."

Victor stood up, quickly taking notice of the purple array beginning to appear on the ground, expanding from Tails' position. The dragon furrowed his brow, uttering, "Try and make a fool out of me, will ya...?"

He abruptly lunged towards Raiu, claws still extended. The demon's eyes widened and he quickly ducked under the attack, sticking a foot up to kick Victor in the stomach. Instead, the dragon had spun to the side, grabbing a hold of Raiu's leg and using his previous momentum to spin about. Tails blinked as Victor abruptly flung Raiu at him, the bloated demon smashing into his master and sending both toppling backwards. Victor skidded to a halt and began cackling madly, shouting, "You didn't think that little trick would work on me, did you?"

Tails looked up, now wearing a rather confident smirk. "No, but I assumed this one would."

Victor's smirk faded as he looked down; he was now standing on the array Tails had set up, the markings of which began glowing brightly and abruptly letting loose a blast of lightning that zapped Victor, the dragon yelping in anger. "GAH! What?"

The fox and demon stood up, Tails murmuring, "You fell right into my trap. I don't even KNOW any array that boosts a demon's powers." He pointed forward. "And any novice warlock should be able to notice the differences between a support array and a debilitating one."

Victor scowled in irritation, Tails and Raiu stepping towards the outside of the array. "And now that you're trapped in my paralyzing array, we can take you in for questioning..." Tails smirk widened even further. "I can't WAIT to see the look on Kachimi's face when he learns that we managed to single-handedly captured one of the Famulus's highest ranking officials!"

Raiu and Tails turned towards each other, giving an excited squee and hugging. Victor sweatdropped slightly, muttering, "If you two fags are just about done spazzing out, I'd LIKE for you to pay attention when I crush your skulls like grapefruit."

Both glanced back around at Victor, noticing the lightning kicking up again as the dragon let out a rather enraged snarl, which soon deteriorated into a bestial roar. Both pair of eyes widened as they noticed a faint light coming from his chest, the array beginning to flicker. Tails' eyes widened, the fox mumbling, "N-...no way...what is he..."

With one last roar, Victor abruptly jerked his fists outwards, the array seemingly exploding and sending streams of light and dark energy outwards, smashing into the walls and knocking away the rubble surrounding the Famulus war machine. Tails and Raiu were also knocked backwards, toppling to a halt as the smoke cleared. Victor stood where he was formerly like normal, panting and smirking widely. Both looked up, Raiu stammering, "Wh-...h-he just..."

Victor proceeded to reach into his beastplate, pulling out what looked to be a pendant wrapped around his neck. On the other end was a star-shaped trinket with a green gem embedded in the middle. "See this? It's my little lucky charm. And with it...I can overload any warlock curse mark, array, whatever." He waved his hands outwards. "You can't restrain me, weaken me, anything! The only way you'll be able to beat me is if you overpower me."

The dragon lifted up a fist in an intimidating fashion, showing off his razor-sharp fangs. "...and I can tell you right now, that will NEVER happen."

**-Meanwhile-**

Kinshou was quickly in lifting up a hand, firing off several black darts towards Chi and Viridis. The skunk was swift in his movements, expertly avoiding each one as Viridis seemingly melted into the ground, streaking towards the fox. Kentan and Milio looked down, the cat gasping, "He's traveling along the ground!"

"I got it!" Milio shouted, abruptly hopping forward and sitting on Viridis. Kinshou glanced at the otter with a blank expression, only to be cut off when the otter was abruptly catapulted into the air, slamming head-first into the ceiling and becoming stuck there. All looked back down, taking notice of several very dark brown tendrils sticking from Viridis's back.

"...he's made of soil," Kinshou uttered, stepping back slightly as Viridis's tendrils lashed at the fox; they were, however, intercepted by Kentan, who managed to grab a hold of them with a grunt. Viridis frowned as Kinshou leaped up, using Kentan as a footstool to position himself in the air above Chi. The skunk furrowed his brow as Kinshou planted both palms together, slowly separating them and unveiling a ball of sparking, dark energy in between them. "You made a mistake in stayng to fight."

Chi frowned slightly. "No, you made a mistake in picking a fight." Kinshou abruptly shot the ball forward, Chi lifting up a hand; a pair of dark claws materialized on each finger. with a simple poke, Chi jabbed the incoming ball and caused it to abruptly dissipate, Kinshou's eyes widening.

"What the..." The fox finally landed, now on the ground in front of Chi. The skunk expertly leaned forward, tapping his claws all over Kinshou's body. The fox let out a strangled shout and shivered, grunting, "Can't...move...!"

The skunk retracted his hand, flexing his fingers. "My special technique, generating claws of pure dark energy on each finger...with points so precise that I am capable of expertly dismantling any attack that's fired at me...or stopping up a warlock's magic reserves."

Kinshou growled lowly, Kentan blinking and glancing at Kinshou. "O-oh no, Kinshou!"

The cat's momentary break in concentration enabled Viridis's soil whips to go right through his hands, enveloping them both and pushing the cat boy backwards, smashing him against a wall. The force, however, caused Milio to be dislodged from his spot in the ceiling, falling down and smashing onto Viridis once again, who was less than prepared this time. "Oof!"

Milio abruptly stood up, Viridis giving a slight twitch as his tendrils released Kentan. The otter blinked upon noticing the frozen Kinshou, Milio shouting, "Hey! What'd you do?" With this comment, he opened his mouth, abruptly flinging his tongue towards Chi, who cast him an uninterested glance. With great speed and precision, he swung his claw outwards, abruptly severing Milio's tongue as it approached. The otter's eyes widened as the appendage dropped to the ground with a splat. "AH! MY TONGUE"!

Viridis managed to recollect himself at this time, abruptly extending several more tendrils and binding them around Milio's overly swollen form. Kentan attempted to step forward as well, however, Viridis did the same to him, both struggling and trying to break free. "Well, it looks like we're victorious this time around. It's a shame, I was expecting something more."

The skunk stepped in front of Kinshou, still unable to move and grunting. Chi ran a finger down Kinshou's chest somewhat seductively, murmuring lowly, "I would've loved to see your true strength. But in such a small area, I suppose it's to be expected."

With this comment, he abruptly reached into one of Kinshou's pockets, pulling out the familiar Demon Mark. "I can only imagine the result if someone with TWO demons utilized this...I don't think it's ever been done before."

"Only once," Kinshou uttered lowly. "And while I know it would work, the results are beyond even my comprehension...I'm only going to use it in a time of extreme crisis."

Chi chuckled lowly, a rather sinister smile coming across his face. "Now I'm insulted. I could kill you right now, and yet you don't think that's a good enough excuse to use it?"

Kinshou returned Chi's icy glare, both staring off for several moments before the skunk turned away. "Very well." With this comment, he stepped towards the dial keeping Baril and Musou in the cage. He stuck all five clawed fingers into the gem, abruptly giving off several sparks and a fizzle as the gem abruptly exploded, sending shards flying everywhere and causing the bars to dissipate. Baril and Musou abruptly rushed out of the cage, a rather noisy alarm being set off in the process. All four looked around, Chi murmuring, "And now is when we bid our farewells."

All four began dissipating amidst a black pillar, Viridis releasing Milio and Kentan. "See ya, loser!" Baril called, cackling madly.

"We'll meet again...and when we do, I'll kill you," Chi uttered, all four finally vanishing.

Milio and Kentan abruptly rushed to Kinshou's side, the otter gasping, "Kinshou! Kinshou, are you alright?"

The fox responded with a grunt, Milio scooping him up as both demons rushed out of the room, searcing for help.

**-Meanwhile-**

Victor had began slowly stepping towards Tails and Raiu at this time, both inching back at an equal speed, still subconsciously clinging to each other. "Wh-...what should we do...?" Raiu mumbled in fright. "Our arrays won't work, and there's no way we can outmaneuver AND overpower him..."

Tails gulped nervously, wincing. "Ggh...I hate to say it...but we can't win by ourselves..." The memory of his scolding by Kachimi after the events in the Aquilus Atrium came back like a bad nightmare. "W-we're going to have to pull out and get help..."

"Don't even think about it." Both blinked in shock, having not noticed Victor moving behind them. They abruptly whirled around, Victor abruptly grabbing a hold of both their necks. He lifted them up, murmuring, "You can't fight back...you put too much effort into that array. And yet I STILL managed to break it..." He smirked widely. "I commend you for knowing what you're up against...but it still wasn't enough. Weaklings."

With this comment, Victor abruptly threw them both forward, both smashing into the war machine and slumping down. Tails and Raiu were both too jarred to stand back up, though they contineud to try and do so. Victor walked towards them, cracking his knuckles. "Any last words?"

Both remained silent, taking a few more steps away, only to abruptly trip over and rock and fall onto their rears. Victor's smirk widened. "Didn't think so."

Tails and Raiu both winced, anticipating the next attack. However, their preparation was met with a few seconds of silence, Tails finally opening an eye to notice Victor's eyes wide in shock. He looked down, taking note of a small dagger of dark energy sticking from Victor's chest. The dragon let out a low grunt, the others looking down at it. "Wh-what...?"

The duo's attention went to the figure standing behind Victor; a somewhat small female figure wearing a light blue dress that extended past their knees. They were a brown-furred creature with longer, dark brown hair and an equally dark brown "mask" over their eyes; combined with their large, striped tail, they were easily visible as a raccoon.

"Wh-...who..."

Tails' half-question wasn't given an answer, as the raccoon lightly tapped Victor's body. "...he's not dead. That's good."

"Damn. I was getting hopeful."

Both blinked, eyes turning to the raccoon girl's tail, which seemed to have actually opened a mouth at the tip and spoken as if it were a separate, sentient being. "G-good? What're you..."

With this comment, the raccon's tail abruptly lunged at Victor, its wide, fanged mouth opening up and grabbing a hold of the dragon in its jaws. With a mighty toss, the raccoon's tail tossed Victor towards the top of the Famulus war machine, where the spectating soldiers quickly managed to grasp a hold of him. "Leave, or your superior will die," the female body said.

"If it's not of blood loss, then it'll be because he tastes good," the tail remarked, a rather long tongue licking all over its "lips".

The Famulus soldiers exchanged a glance, only to be interrupted when Victor gave off a hoarse cough. "You...heard them...get us outta here..."

Victor cast a glare to Tails and the others, grunting and shivering slightly. "Hear me, ya little pipsqueak...you haven't won this battle, or the war...don't get arrogant because you got lucky. Ya hear...?"

With this comment, the war machine abruptly closed up and shot off, leaving Tails and Raiu to stare after it in silence. "Um...thank you for-" Raiu's attempt at thanks was cut off when he noticed that the raccoon were gone. "H-huh?"

"She's gone..." Tails murmured lowly, looking down slightly. "Was...that a...warlock...? Or..."


	11. Repaying the Favor

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 11-Repaying the Favor

The following lunch day found Tails and Raiu back at their table; the latter was going through his lunch, ravenous as usual, though Tails seemed too lost in thought and continued to stare at the apple in his hand. Raiu glanced at him after a swallow, mumbling, "You've barely touched your food, Tails..."

"Sorry," he murmured lowly, shaking his head. "I'm still thinking about that warlock who saved us the other day..." He looked up slightly. "I had even checked all of the records, but there wasn't one of a raccoon warlock..."

Raiu blinked slightly. "H-huh...that's odd..."

The hybrid turned back to his meal, only to find none other than Sabishii laying on the table across from him, the two now nose-to-nose. "Hi Raiu."

Said demon leaned back slightly, Tails looking up at the kitsune with a slight blink. "Sabishii, get off of the table."

Sabishii slunk back into his seat, Lyla plopping down next to him. "We heard about your little scrape with that Famulus the other day," the cat girl remarked.

Tails responded with a nod, looking down. "Yeah...and yet I still can't find out who that mysterious other warlock was..."

"You're overthinking this," Sabishii mused, picking up one of the pieces of bread in Raiu's tin and holding it in front of him tauntingly, the hybrid trying to reach for it as the kitsune waggled it about. "Maybe it was something super-secret that the Headmaster won't tell us about."

The fox blinked and furrowed his brow slightly. "I...don't think he'd keep secrets from us, Sabishii..."

"It's possible," Lyla responded, waving a fork towards Tails warningly. "You'd best stay on your toes, who knows what you might've gotten yourself into."

Tails stared back at the cat girl with a mildly disinterested stare. "...gee thanks, that makes me feel better."

Lyla blinked for a moment before looking back down at her food, Sabishii drumming his fingers on the table for a moment. "ANYWAY..." he mumbled, clenching his hands together and looking up. "You know those two bad warlocks you captured the other day, Tails, Raiu? Turns out they escaped."

Both blinked, looking up at Sabishii in surprise. "...wait, wha?"

"Mhm. Turns out they had some accomplices bust 'em out," the kitsune explained, his tails flicking about. "And it was on Kinshou's watch, so he's getting an earful from the Headmaster and his fellow prefects."

Tails fell silent for a moment, looking down slightly. "He is, huh..."

**-Meanwhile-**

Said fox and his two partners currently stood before Akumu and his prefects in the Headmaster's room, Kachimi adopting an expression of gleeful triumph, while Rayvar seemed completely serious. "Because you let them escape, we have lost the opportunity to extract precious information involving the Suuhai," the wolf murmured, staring off at Kinshou as he lowered his head.

"My deepest apologies, Headmaster, sir," he murmured lowly.

"But...we were trying our best..." Kentan mumbled lowly with a slightly cracked expression.

"Well, your best wasn't good enough," Kachimi responded hatefully, adopting a displeased expression. "I hope you're happy with yourself, because now WE might be in a very dangerous position!"

Kinshou retained a serious expression, though both Kentan and Milio winced from the stinging remark. "Calm yourself, Kachimi," Akumu murmured, lifting a hand and prompting the fox to step down with a frown. The Headmaster turned towards Kinshou, muttering, "It is, however, obvious to me that you require a little bit of proving to do before we entrust you with anything serious again. Therefore, I am sending you on a mission to patrol the mines that the Famulus Zealot attacked prior."

Kinshou nodded slightly. "Yes sir, I..."

The fox trailed off, his eyes widening as everyone looked up. Akumu furrowed his brow slightly. "...can I help you, Miles...?"

A few more seconds passed before Tails and Raiu slowly slunk out from behind a nearby column, looking fairly nervous. Kachimi put on a disapproving scowl, uttering, "And what excuse could you POSSIBLY have for sneaking into a meeting between the prefects and your Headmaster?"

"M-my sincerest apologies, sir," Tails murmured, him and Raiu quickly bowing. "I-I understand that the two warlocks we captured have escaped on Kinshou's watch..."

"Correct," Akumu responded with a nod. "But that doesn't explain why you've come."

Tails looked up slightly, pursing his lips for a moment. "I, ah...would like permission to accompany Kinshou on this mission, sir..." Akumu blinked slightly, Kachimi and Rayvar exchanging a glance as Kinshou blinked with slightly widened eyes. "A-after that scrape we had with the Famulus Zealot the other day, I feel that myself and Raiu may need some improving..."

Akumu fell silent, Kachimi gritting his teeth slightly. "You've got a lot of gall, Prower. Thinking that you can barge in on our meeting and make such demands; I ought to have you suspended for-"

"Kachimi." The forceful manner in which Akumu said this instantly shut the fox up, his lips pursed together seemingly by an invisible force. The Headmaster turned towards Tails with a contemplative gaze. "...you were lucky enough to escape from that Zealot with your life, and yet you still feel you can do better. I'm impressed, Miles."

Tails blinked and looked up slightly, Akumu closing his eyes as the faint traces of a smirk appeared on his snout. "Always willing to put yourself at bigger and better heights...not unlike your own father." This comment resulted in a rather pleased beam from Tails, Kachimi scowling and looking away slightly. "Alright, I will grant you permission to accompany Kinshou on his mission."

"Th-thank you very much, sir," the fox murmured, giving another bow, yet remaining unable to contain his excitement. Kinshou furrowed his brow slightly while glancing at Tails out of the side of his eye.

"As a debriefing...the two of you will be going back to the slave mines you visited the other day, Miles," Akumu explained, folding his hands behind his back. "The Famulus no doubt had another reason for attacking the mines...it offers a connection to the Mancer Core."

Tails blinked slightly, looking up. "The...Mancer Core?"

Kachimi finally spoke up. "One of the most powerful relics in all of the Hellfields, it helps regulate the flow of arcane energies, just like the Aquilus Atrium. But unlike the Atrium, that YOU wrecked might I add, it does much more of the job, and even aids in making sure us warlocks can even utilize our dark magic."

The black-furred fox glanced back at Akumu, extending a hand towards Tails. "Sir, with all due respect, keeping in mind what happened at the Atrium, is it REALLY safe to let the Prower boy even go NEAR the Mancer Core? Who's to say the same event won't happen aga-"

"Kachimi," Akumu uttered forcefully once again, turning towards him and narrowing his gaze slightly. "Are you questioning my decisions...?"

The fox pursed his lips together with a wince, lowering his head. "Ggh...no sir..."

"Good." Akumu turned back to Tails and Kinshou, murmuring, "You will depart once lunch has passed. You are dismissed."

With this comment, both nodded and departed, their demons trotting along after them. Rayvar himself abruptly melted into the floor, Kachimi looking up with a glare at the teleporter Tails and the others had used. "I'm not going to allow that little Prower brat to get through this day with his reputation intact..."

**-Later-**

Tails, Kinshou, and their three demons now stood in front of the teleporter, awaiting confirmation from the gatekeeper. Once their mission had been verified, the fivesome stepped inside, abruptly warping away in a flash of light and landing at the mines...inside of the mines, to be exact. They were in the middle of a fairly large cavern, with several criss-crossing railroad tracks running through it and some carts of dirt and crystals being pushed about, either by slaves or demons.

"...Miles," Kinshou uttered, glancing at Tails slightly. "You had other reasons for joining me, didn't you...?"

The fox paused for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Yes, I did..." He slowly looked up at Kinshou with a serious expression, murmuring, "You stuck up for me when I messed up...now I'm returning the favor."

Kinshou blinked for a moment and furrowed his brow with a faint frown. Milio and Kentan exchanged a glance. "I told you before to be wary of others that would want to take advantage of your great family name. Who's to say that's my only motivation for aiding you prior?"

Tails paused for a moment before looking away slightly. "Fair enough. I don't blame you, either. But the fact stilll stands that I'm paying you back. Besides..." He stretched his fingers slightly, giving off a light groan in the process. "...I was at least being partially truthful; after getting my ass handed to me by that Famulus Zealot, I want to be even better prepared for a future confrontation with them."

Both foxes fell silent, Kinshou staring at Tails blankly as Raiu cleared his throat. "Um...we need to get moving, guys; these mines won't patrol themselves."

"Yay!" Milio shouted, pumping up both hands. "Let's get moving, now!"

"Fine," Kinshou uttered, glancing at Tails and pointing down at the ground; four railroad tracks all intersected around them, with various turns for each to get to other portions of the cavern. "Each floor has one specific spot where all of the tracks intersect. We'll start here and go down each path, then come back and switch out. Once we've both went down each path, we'll move on to the next floor, understand?"

Tails nodded in response, the two teams going their separate ways, off into the caverns. Not long after the two left, a blue spot materialized on the gorund in the middle of the tracks, slowly materializing into the ever-familiar image of Kachimi and Sawagasu. The serpent adopted a wide smirk, mumbling, "I'm sooooo going to enjoy this..."

"Don't get too excited, Sawagasu," Kachimi murmured, frowning. "We'll have to be delicate to make sure it doesn't end up being US that screws something up...I'm not going to have Kinshou finding me out AGAIN." With this comment, the two melted back into the floor, slinking along after Tails and Raiu.


	12. The Mancer Core

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 12-The Mancer Core

About an hour or so had passed since Tails and the others had arrived in the mine, having gone about diligently on their work. According to Kinshou, insubordination on the slaves' part was enough of an excuse for them to dish out punishment; as expected, Raiu jumped on the opportunity to ask about soul absorption. Kinshou, again, agreed, however, the duo had so far had no luck in finding any of the slaves rebelling.

"Look at it this way, Raiu," Tails remarked, glancing at the hybrid. "It shows that our first excursion here left a lasting impression on the slaves, and that's a plus."

Raiu nodded lightly, looking around and taking notice of several slaves backing away in fear when they approached. "Yeah...I suppose you're right."

A few more moments passed in silence, Raiu keeping his gaze down before looking up at Tails. "Er...our of curiosity..." Tails glanced at Raiu as he began rubbing his arm, wincing slightly. "What Kachimi said before...about us ruining the Atrium..." He came to a halt, closing his eyes with a shiver. "I'm nervous...about being in such close proximity to the Mancer Core."

Tails blinked slightly, setting a hand on Raiu's back. "You're not actually letting Kachimi get to you, are you?"

"Y-yes, I am," the hybrid responded bluntly, opening his eyes slightly.

This earned a slight sweatdrop from his warlock partner, who gave off a slight sigh. "Raiu, everything's gonna be alright. We're not gonna mess anything up, I can assure you that."

Raiu slowly looked back up at Tails, who offered a friendly smile in response. The hybrid slowly nodded, murmuring, "I...guess you're right." He sighed again, lowering both hands. "I'm sorry for worrying so much..."

"It's alright," Tails responded, wrapping an arm around Raiu's shoulder and pulling him close. "To be honest, I'm just a tad apprehensive about being so close to the Mancer Core too. But that gives us all the more reason to be at our best, right?"

Both continued to stare at each other for a moment, slowly nodding. "Y-you're right," he responded withh a slight nod, forcing on a smile.

"That's better," Tails remarked, petting the demon on the head and earning a low purr from him. "Now let's regroup with Kinshou."

The fox was, however, cut off by an orb of dark energy flying down the hall, abruptly stopping in front of them and prompting the duo to glance at it with a blink. "Tails," Kinshou's voice amanated from it. "We have a problem."

Tails and Raiu both blinked, exchanging a glance. "Wh-what is it?" Raiu stammered nervously.

"You'll see when you get here, now come on," the orb responded sharply, quickly beginning to float off and forcing Tails and Raiu to follow.

It didn't take much time for them to arrive at the orb's destination, where Kinshou was waiting in front of what looked to be a large pipe of swirling, purple energy in a larger opening at the end of a tunnel. Raiu and Tails quickly approached, both panting and looking up slightly. "We...we're here," Tails remarked, looking up and immediately noticing the problem.

The large tube before them had swirling, purple energy inside of it, an occasional crackle being heard from it; Tails didn't need to be told that it was connected to the Mancer Core and helped regulate and transfer energy. On one side, some purple mist was leaking from a rather noticeable crack in the tube. "...the tube is cracked..."

"Well, no shit," Kinshou remarked bluntly, glaring at Tails slightly and prompting a blink from the fox. Kinshou blinked back and turned to the tube. "It needs to be repaired, as soon as possible."

Tails nodded slowly, stepping towards the tube and holding up both hands. "Alright...I think I can repair it..."

The duo stepped forward, Kinshou taking an almost unnoticeable step back. "...Kinshou, why didn't you fix it...?" Raiu mumbled lowly, looking up with a nervous shiver.

The fox fell silent for a moment, Tails casting him only a slight glance. "Such magic isn't my forte," Kinshou responded lowly, waving a hand about.

"Well, if you say so..." Tails responded, both hands glowing as he set them on the crack, wincing slightly as some of the mist sprayed onto him. "I suppose it's been a while since you've performed energy manipulation of this sort..."

Kinshou fell silent for a moment, narrowing his gaze slightly. "...pardon?"

"Well, transit tubes like this are formed out of a special insulating energy that's usually similar to that which it's transporting," Tails explained in a slightly droning fashion, now seemingly too absorbed in his work to notice Kinshou's questionable expression. "So fixing it's usually a matter of extracting some of the passing energy, sampling the differences between what's inside and outside, then changing it to fix the crack itself..."

A few moments passed in silence, one of Kinshou's eyes twitching as he took a slight step back. "...smart ass..."

Raiu slowly looked around at Kinshou with a slight blink, gears slowly turning in his head. "...wait...where are Kentan and Milio...?" The hybrid slowly stood up as Kinshou took another step back. "And...I don't think I've ever seen Kinshou use a spell like that orb thing you did..."

Before Raiu could finish his deduction, the fox abruptly planted a hand on the wall; the area abruptly began shaking, causing Raiu to begin trembling slightly as Tails' attention was diverted long enough to see the opening caving in, enabling them to see the image of Kinshou beginning to fade into black. "A-an illusion?"

Raiu went to charge forward; however, the entire opening was abruptly covered, leaving Raiu to run into the pile and trip on it slightly. He pushed himself away, eyes widening. "It's a trap!"

Tails slowly stood up, brushing his robe off with a sigh. "Should've guessed that was a dirty trick...that wasn't Kinshou at all."

"B-but if it wasn't Kinshou..." Raiu's eyes began steadily widening in horror. "Th-then...who was it?"

On the other side of the wall, the image of Kinshou abruptly dissipated, slowly forming itself into a familiar, dark blue puddle that began reforming itself into the slick serpent-like body of Sawagasu. "Did it work?"

"Sorta," the serpent mumbled, turning around as Kachimi appeared from a pillar of dark energy. "They almost found me out."

Kachimi frowned. "Tch...next time, I do the disguises."

"There won't be a next time, I'm afraid." Both abruptly blinked, slowly turning around; Kinshou, Kentan, and Milio stood behind them, the fox having his arms folded with an unimpressed stare. "Why am I not surprised...?"

The black-furred fox responded with a rather irate growl, stepping back slightly. "Shouldn't you be patrolling somewhere...?"

"We were," Kentan responded lowly. "But then Kinshou passed one of the Mancer Core's transit tubes an' said Tails was messin' with one. So we followed it here."

Kinshou shifted his glasses about with the same serious expression as before. "Tails is far from being stupid enough to mess with something like that without viable reason. So I came here in case he needed help."

Kachimi and Sawagasu responded with a rather irate growl, Kinshou pointing forward. "Now I suggest you leave before I lose what mercy I have and report you to the Headmaster for endangering the life of another student."

"Tch...fine," Kachimi uttered lowly, beginning to melt into the ground with Sawagasu alongside him. "This isn't over..."

Both finally disappeared, Kinshou and the others approaching. "Tails, are you alright?"

On the other end, the fox pressed his ear against the rock wall. "Kinshou? Is that you?" He paused for a moment. "Is it ACTUALLY you?"

"No, it's another jackass in disguise," Kinshou responded with a thick layer of sarcasm; Tails and Raiu both sweatdropped. "Tell me, how far are you from the tube?"

Tails looked towards the tube, mumbling to himself. "Uuhh...about fifteen feet, give or take."

"Alright, so we can't destroy the wall by force, or else it'll damage the tube," Kinshou uttered, stepping back with a slight sigh. "We'll have to do this manually."

Milio abruptly smiled dopily. "Oohh, does that mean we get to...?"

"Yes, Milio," Kinshou remarked with a slight snap; the otter boy abruptly cheered and lunged at the wall, beginning to cram stones into his mouth.

On the other side, Tails stepped back, Raiu glancing at him. "Couldn't we blow the wall apart from our end...?"

Tails shook his head. "No, I don't have enough power in me for it. And I don't think borrowing from the tube would be a good idea..." His gaze went to the still leaking tube. "After what happened in the Aquilus Atrium..."

Raiu gave off a rather noticeable shiver, wincing with a nod. "Y-yeah..."

The fox looked back at the tube, pursing his lips and stepping back next to the crack, planting his glowing hands back on it. "Might as well fix this...I think I should be able to do so without messing anything up."

Raiu turned back to Tails, pursing his lips slightly as the crack began slowly closing itself up; finally, the crack was completely repaired, the mist halting its spray. Tails leaned back with a slight smile, murmuring, "Fixed it."

"Nice going, Tails," Raiu remarked, letting out a smile and sigh of relief. "I was a little worried it'd end up messing up aga-"

The hybrid was abruptly cut off by a low rumbling, causing the duo to blink and quickly scamper back. "I-I stand corrected..." Raiu squeaked nervously, clinging to Tails with a hysterical whimper.

The tube abruptly began lifting itself up, unsettling several more rocks as a curve in the tube was revealed, enabling an opening in the wall to be seen. Once an opening had been revealed, the duo looked up, blinking and slowly stepping into the revealed room. "What...just happened...?" Raiu mumbled nervously.

Before Tails could answer, the duo looked up; several tubes ran throughout the room, all of them attached to a metal altar in the middle of the fairly large room, where a pillar of purple energy in the middle revealed a rather sizeable gem suspended in midair. Both of them gawked for a few moments, Raiu stammering, "I-is that..."

"The Mancer Core..." Tails mumbled lowly; the fact that he could feel such great power emanating from the gem was proof of what it was. He took a slight step forward, murmuring, "I get it now...that broken tube must've been a way of opening the path to its chamber..."

"Brilliant deduction, little fox!" Both abruptly blinked, whirling around to find a black spot materializing on the ground behind them. "Yes, that cracked tube is the key to opening the path to the Mancer Core. Unfortunately, not just any warlock is able to open the path..."

A pillar of what looked to be pure dark energy began forming, accompanied by a single, curved horn at the top that pointed backwards. It was accompanied by a pair of glowing, red eyes and a very wide smile, showing that even the interior was a blood red. "So I must thank you, otherwise the Suuhai wouldn't be able to get in here."

"S-Suuhai...?" Tails echoed, blinking and stepping foreard with a serious expression. "Who are you?"

The strange creature gave off a rather hysterical giggle, extending a very long and very bony arm, which had several blade-like fingers extending from the hand at the end. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry, I need to introduce myself first! My name is Horror, one of the mighty Shadow Generals udner the command of the Suuhai. And you, my fine foxy friend, had best comply if you wish to live."

On the other end of the wall, Kinshou kept staring ahead as Milio and Kentan continued to try and eat their way through the wall. "What do you think that rumbling was...?" Kentan mumbled lowly, glancing at Kinshou after swallowing another crushed up boulder.

"Incentive to move faster, that's what I think it was," Kinshou responded rather flatly. "Now hurry up, Tails and Raiu are probably in trouble."

"DON'T WORRY, I'M COMIN'!" Milio abruptly squealed, beginning to shovel more into his mouth at one time in an effort to get through faster.

Kinshou continued to watch with a serious expression, only to blink and close his eyes a moment later. "...Kachimi, I could've sworn I told you to leave. You must be more arrogant than I thought if you believed you could sneak past me."

A few moments passed in silence, only to be met by a very low chuckle; unlike what was expected, it was easily definable as feminine. "Kachimi...? I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about."

Kinshou frowned at this, slowly turning around and watching as a figure began materializing out of the darkness; it was identifiable as a yellow-furred jaguar girl in a purple-colored jumpsuit, piercing blue eyes staring ahead at Kinshou. "You're not Kachimi..."

"Of course not," the jaguar responded, straightening herself out and setting a hand on her hip. "I'm just a little surprised you managed to find me at all, even if you mistook me for another."

Milio and Kentan slowly glanced back around from the rock wall, Kinshou narrowing his gaze as he further scanned the girl over. "...you're Suuhai," he uttered with a noticeable hint of distaste. "I should've guessed."

The jaguar girl gave off a low chuckle, smirking lowly. "But you didn't, and I suppose that's a failure on your part."

"You must be here for the Mancer Core," Kinshou continued, lifting up a hand and causing it to begin glowing a rather dark purple. "I can assure you that won't happen."

Kentan and Milio both took a step forth, the jaguar closing her eyes with a slight sigh. "Well, I suppose that takes out the possibility of negotiation..." She proceeded to hold up one of her arms, a black mist surrounding it and abruptly taking the form of a rather large metal dagger wrapped around her arm. "...which only leaves the option of forcing you aside."

Kinshou narrowed his gaze, Kentan crouching slightly in preparation for battle, while Milio continued to stare blankly into space. "...I see now. You're one of Assassin Division."

"Well now, you're well informed," the jaguar responded with a rather noticeable chuckle, smirking a little wider.

Kentan and Milio slowly glanced back at Kinshou. "What's that?" the otter boy asked rather blankly.

Kinshou closed his eyes slightly. "The Assassin Division used to be a special force within the Pravus Academy that trained warlocks specializing in up-close and stealthy combat. It was discontinued after all of the members were subjugated into the Suuhai."

Milio glanced back at the jaguar, who gave off a rather sly smile. "He's right. He should also know how deadly the Assassin Division was; all the more reason for its immediate dissolution once it was revealed to be working for the Suuhai."

"That doesn't matter," Kinshou responded sharply, the energy shrouding his hand becoming even thicker. "If you think I'm going to allow you to get to the Mancer Core, you're sorely mistaken."

The two sides continued to stare off for a few moments, a voice suddenly emanating from the blade extending from the jaguar girl's arm. "All of this talking bores me. Zita, I hunger for these fools' souls."

"Of course," the jaguar, Zita responded, nodding and crouching slightly. "As is tradition in the Assassin Division, introductions are in order. My name is Zita, my parter, Ferrum. And we will have the honor of killing you now."

Kinshou narrowed his gaze slightly, shifting the glasses on his snout. "Kinshou. My partners, Kentan and Milio. And we're going to have the honor of taking you captive."


	13. Conflict in the Cavern

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 13-Conflict in the Cavern

The air had become tense, Tails and Raiu continuing to stare off against Horror as he let out a few, low snickers, as if barely able to contain his excitement. "Wh-what...why are you here?" Raiu stammered lowly, hiding behind Tails slightly.

The shadow creature let out a rather hysterical laugh, jerking his head back before leaning back down, hunched over slightly. "Why else but to take the Mancer Core's power?" Tails seemed to be jerked out of his stupor and blinked, his fists clenching slightly.

"And you expect us to just step aside and let you do that?" the fox remarked, stepping forward and narrowing his gaze. "You're out of your mind!"

"Now now, don't get too far ahead of yourself," Horror remarked giddily, wavingg one hand about and straightenin himself out once more. "I didn't think you'd let me by without some incentive, so I'm willing to offer you-"

"You cant take your offer and shove it where the sun doesn't shine," Tails responded bluntly, both hands beginning to glow.

Horror's smile finally seemed to fade, and the light in his eyes and mouth seemed to flare up slightly. "Can I at least finish before you decline?" When Tails and Raiu fell silent, the shadow creature cleared his throat, smile returning. "That's better...anyway, I'm willing to offer you unprecedented power for cooperating with us."

Tails narrowed his gaze in response, Raiu glancing at his master with a slight gulp. "You see, we Suuhai are a group of rogue warlocks that were once allied with your precious little school."

This earned a blink from the duo, the memory of Baril and Musou coming back to them. "Why, you might ask? Well, their rules were much too stifling," Horror continued, lifting a hand slightly. "They limited the true potential of a warlock and his demon's capabilities. They make anyone under its watch weak."

Horror waved his clawed hand in front of him, his smirk widening as he called, "By abandoning its teachings, we have gained power beyond your wildest dreams! And we will continue to do so until all of Sanctimonia is under our command! Not even the Famulus will be able to stand up to us!"

The shadow being gave off a rather loud and uncontrollable barrzge of cackles and laughter, almost as if his speech had driven him to insanity - if he weren't already there. Tails retained a serious expression, Raiu looking away slightly as is the shadow being's words had struck a chord with him. "We have rules and limiters for a reason, you know," Tails explained, crouching slightly and prompting a glance from Horror. "We might not always agree with them, and sure they may hold us back from what we are fully capable of, but there are reasons behind it."

Horror's smile had faded once again, Raiu bowing his head with a slight wince and tremble. "Raiu. Let's kick this guy's butt and make sure he learns a lesson in humility," Tails murmured, his demon partner nodding and stepping forward slightly.

The shadow being lowered his head slightly, giving another, very faint chuckle. "I guess it's true what they say, like father like son..." he murmured lowly, Tails blinking as Horror looked up slightly. "Your father told us something similar...and while he might've been able to back those words up, I don't think you have the strength to."

Tails narrowed his gaze with a rather irate growl, Horror waving both claws outwards and adopting another crazed smirk. "I'm going to take pleasure in cutting you to ribbons, little fox boy!"

With this comment, Horror abruptly charged forward, claws gleaming and causing the duo to blink. "Scatter!" Tails shouted, the duo quickly leaping to the sides and rolling to a halt, barely avoiding Horror's bladed claws. The fox looked around as Raiu got back to his feet, Horror's eyes trailing to Tails mischievously. "Raiu!"

"O-on it," the hybrid mumbled, abruptly catapulting himself towards Horror, preparing a straight kick. The shadow being whirled around, crossing his claws in front of himself to block the attack as Raiu kicked back.

"Come back here, little bunny boy!" Horror shouted, abruptly swiging his outstretched claws towards Raiu. The demon barely managed to avoid by diving in between the gaps of his fingers, grabbing a hold of one of them and using the swinging motion to catapult himself high into the air, landing on one of the tubes extending from the Mancer Core. Horror glanced at Raiu and lunged after him, lifting up both hands in preparation for a downwards swipe; however, two whips of purple energy were abruptly wrapped around his wrists. "What?"

On the other side of the whips was Tails, who managed to muster all of his might to yank Horror backwards, the shadow creature falling back and landing with a powerful smash back-first on the ground. Raiu leaped off of the tube straight towards Horror, pulling his legs towards his body in preparation for a finishing stomp. Horror, however, simply smirked. "Best watch where you're kicking, you'll end up hurt."

With this comment, Horror's body seemed to phase into the ground, appearing only as a literal shadow. Tails and Raiu's eyes widened; the memory of having to help Raiu recover after this tactic failed aganst Kokira motivated Tails to drop the energy chords and lunge towards Raiu. "Watch out!"

Before the hybrid could smash into the ground, Tails intercepted him, tackling Raiu to the ground and causing both to topple to a halt, panting. "Are...are you alright?" Tails panted, leaning up and glancing at Raiu underneath him.

"...better than I would've been had I fallen like that," Raiu mumbled lowly, trying his hardest to hide a red glow coming over his face and overall failing. Tails didn't get enough time to ponder this when Raiu's eyes widened, noticing Horror rising from the ground behind them with claws outstretched. "He's behind us!"

Tails was forced to move quickly, barely holding up his hands to generate a shield of energy to block the attack. Horror's claws sunk right into the barrier, very slowly beginning to dig into it and pierce through. Tails winced in his struggles to keep them from completely breaking through the shield. Raiu had taken this opportunity to grab Tails and quickly wrench him out of the way, the duo barely avoiding Horror's claws as they punctured the ground, upturning a few of the rocks in the process. "That was close..."

"Stand still, I'd like to present your pelts to her Highness in decent condition!" Horror shouted, whirling around to the duo, retaining his crazed grin.

Tails prepared to ask who "her Highness" was, however, he was interrupted when Horror swung his claws towards the duo from above once again. Tails prepared to generate a shield, however, he wasn't fast enough and was forced to watch as Raiu managed to slide the duo to the side, landing in between the gaps and causing Horror to frown. "Hmph, you two are starting to become troublesome."

Thinking fast, Raiu grabbed a hold of Tails and leaped into the air as Horror clenched his fingers together, attempting to grab the duo; however, Raiu instead landed right on Horror's balled-up fist. The shadow creature's frown deepened as Raiu lunged forward, Tails letting go of the hybrid and kicking him towards Horror, now spinning about like a wheel. Before he could be struck, however, Horror's face - Raiu's target - seemingly split in half, causing Raiu to fly right past it. Tails' eyes widened, the fox gasping, "How did he...?"

Tails landed rather unceremoniously on the ground, rolling away from Horror quickly as Raiu landed against one of the walls, hopping off of it with a blink as Horror looked around at the duo, chuckling to himself. "Curious? I can control my body's shape and tangibility at will. You stand no chance against the likes of me, little foxy."

Raiu's eyes widened slightly as Tails took a slight step back, growling lowly. "I'm beginning to think I should just end this fight now. Best to have your fur just a little tanned when I deliver it to Miss Alicia than not have it at all!"

Before Tails or Raiu could make sense of this comment, Horror lifted up both claws, a few sparks of dark energy beginning to emanate from his palms. Suddenly, two fairly large balls of purplish colored flame were generated, Horror's smirk widening as his glowing red eyes and mouth, now seemingly on fire, brightened considerably. "I hope you enjoy your last few minutes of life, Prower!"

**-Meanwhile-**

Zita was swift in lunging forth, blade crossed in front of her. Kinshou took a slight step back as Milio stepped forth, spinning around and blocking Zita's blade with his tail, the two clashing before Zita was forced to hop back, flipping to a halt; this, however, was quickly intercepted when Kinshou stomped a foot on the ground, causing several purple spikes to begin shooting out of the ground towards the jaguar, prompting her to expertly flip into the air, abruptly attaching herself to the wall with great proficiency. "Hm. You've certainly got an advantage in numbers," she mused thoughtfully.

"Only warlock of my generation to be able to control two demons at once," Kinshou responded bluntly, shifting his glasses about. Kentan abruptly stepped forward, giving a rather powerful stomp onto the ground that sent several cracks crawling all over the walls, some of them trailing towards Zita. The jaguar girl abruptly dropped down from her post, only to be cut off when Kinshou stepped on one of the generated cracks; they all suddenly gave off a purple glow and began expelling a large blast of energy and several rocks flying in Zita's direction, all of them impacting with a crash.

"Hmph...that was a little less impressive than I was expecting," Kinshou mumbled flatly, staring at the dust cloud as it slowly began settling. Instead of Zita, however, he found a round, metal dome encompassing where the jaguar once was. The trio blinked as it seemed to change shape, soon forming back into the blade around Zita's arm; the jaguar girl had been hiding underneath the dome. "...I spoke too soon."

"They're quite skilled at keeping us on our toes," the metallic voice of Ferrum called from the blade wrapped around Zita's arm. "Perhaps we'll get a more active workout than normal."

Zita nodded, crouching slightly. "Oh yes. But that's about it; I don't think I'd like to make a meal out of such fatty morsels."

Kentan and Milio both exchanged a blink, Kinshou narrowing his gaze as Zita abruptly lunged forth, blade held in front of her in preparation for another swipe. "You won't get the chance to take anyone as your little meal," Kinshou remarked, quickly ducking underneath Zita's blade swipe and preparing to kick upwards. However, the metal composing said blade seemingly melted and reformed into a curved shield underneath the jaguar girl that blocked Kinshou's foot. The fox blinked as Zita used the chance to grab Kinshou's ankle with her free hand, planting her feet on the ground and swinging him behind her, the warlock caught in midflight by Milio, who set him back on the ground. "Are you alright Kinshou?" Kentan asked nervously.

Said fox slid back to the ground, giving a nod in response. "I'm fine." His gaze went back to Zita, watching as the metallic shield abruptly reformed back into the blade around her arm. "Her demon partner is that blade around her arm. It must have a special power that enables it to transform its body at will into various objects, enabling her to use it as a very versatile and sentient weapon."

Zita gave off a rather surprised blink before smiling slightly, straightening her body out. "Well, I'm just a little surprised you managed to figure that out so quickly," she remarked with a low chuckle. "It was a specialty of the Assassin Division, but I thought almost all traces of information had been erased."

"The only aspects of it that were erased were those in its ranks," Kinshou explained. "You won't find any traces of their names or existence in the records. Just details of what the Assassin Division was."

Zita gave another chuckle, closing her eyes before crouching once more. "Akumu must have been pretty ashamed of that little project..."

"But he's smart," Kinshou explained, narrowing his gaze. "Leaving behind information about it so that we would know how to handle the situation should we find ourself confronted by its old members."

"Simply having information won't help you," Zita responded plainly, lunging towards Kinshou once more, this time wincing back for a stab. "You'll still fall!"

Instead of avoiding, Kinshou simply lifted a hand. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you."

With one swift motion, the fox snapped his fingers; several bolts of dark energy began streaking around Zita's blade, causing her to blink as it seemingly exploded, knocking her off balance and falling to the ground. "Gah!"

From where Zita once stood, the blade abruptly dropped, seemingly twisting about and returning to another form; this time, one of a quadrupedal dragon that was completely covered in spiky, metallic plating with glowing, red eyes. It seemed more machine than living being. "Gotcha," Kinshou murmured, lowering his hand.

Zita slowly sat up, grunting lowly as Kentan and Milio took a slight step forward on either side of Kinshou, acting as makeshift barriers. "What? What did you..."

"One of the most common types of spells used by members of the Assassion Division was a shapeshifting type," Kinshou explained, as his trio took a slight step forward. "Used to cloak their own appearance for reconnaissance or stealth...mostly to change their own partner's entire physical structure."

Ferrum began slowly clambering back to its feet, Kinshou holding up one glowing hand. "So it was a simple process of dispelling your transformation and sealing it temporarily. Unfortunately for you, we'll be able to emerge victorious before the seal even wears off."

Zita let out a ratther irate growl, Kentan narrowing his gaze slightly as Milio licked his lips, adopting a rather hungry expression. "Z-...Zita," Ferrum growled lowly, his metallic voice adopting a shaky and somewhat buzzing tone. "I hate to say it, but we need to escape."

The jaguar girl nodded slightly. "Gah...fine...Horror should have the Mancer Core by now anyway."

Kinshou and Kentan both gave off a rather surprised blink. "What're you-" Kinshou's question was cut off when Zita threw a ball into the ground, generating a large cloud of smoke that hid the duo from view. "Gah! A smokescreen!"

Within a few moments, the smoke had cleared, revealing that the duo had vanished. Kinshou gripped his hands together, grunting, "Tch...they escaped."

"B-but she said some guy was after the Mancer Core!" Kentan shouted in a panic, glancing at Kinshou with a horrified expression. "We've gotta get to the other side!"

"IMMA COMIN'!" Milio abruptly shouted, lunging back at the rock wall and beginning to cram the boulders into his mouth with great gusto; however, after the battle more of the wall had caved in, completely bringing them back to step one. Kinshou sighed and rubbed his eyes as Kentan joined Milio at the wall.

**-Meanwhile-**

"You can't find Kachimi anywhere...?"

"No sir," Lorak responded, shaking his head; he and Rayvar currently stood before Akumu and Raibaru in the Headmaster's quarters, the wolf currently staring at a rather large mirror behind his place. "We think he must've followed Kinshou and Miles on their mission."

This was met with a low sigh from Akumu, who closed his eyes. "He and his demon are much too hard-headed and stubborn for their own good..." The wolf opened his eyes ever so slightly, and added, "I suppose we'll have to get this meeting under way without him or Kinshou."

Suddenly, the borders of the mirror began glowing faintly, all four staring ahead at it intently as the reflection became completely jet black, with a murky, oil-like texture to it. A very thin outline appeared on the inside, a pair of piercing, glowing red eyes appearing at the head. Lorak, Rayvar, and Raibaru all abruptly hit their knees, while Akumu gave an elaborate bow. "Good evening, master."

"Ah, Akumu," the stick-like figure mused in a rather calm, gentlemanly tone that seemed to reverberate off of the walls, giving it an eerie, echoey tone. "I see you're short two prefects."

"Kinshou was sent on a mission due to a recent slip up, and Kachimi followed him," Akumu explained, keeping his gaze down. "Without my consent or knowledge, of course."

The stick-like figure responded with a very low chuckle. "I see...the fact that you're raising such rebellious warlocks troubles me just a little, Akumu."

"He is powerful, make no mistake," Akumu responded, looking up slightly. "He simply must learn a lesson or two in humility before he can learn to truly appreciate his position."

Another chuckle from the stick-like figure, who murmured, "Then perhaps you can make him my next sacrifice." Akumu looked up ever so slightly, his "master" continuing, "The Nitefall Ceremony is drawing near, Akumu."

"I know, sir," the wolf responded lowly, giving a nod. "But I can't simply pick Kachimi just like that. Only the most powerful warlock can be chosen."

"Akumu," the thin silhouette murmured with a serious expression. "My power is almost at its peak; I require only a little more before I can be released. You could probably give me the weakest warlock in your power and it would be enough to release me."

The Headmaster finally looked up fully, placing a clawed hand on his chest. "Master, with all due respect...I want this Ceremony to go by without any problems. Another year passed is another that the Famulus come close to finding a way to fight back against us. Not to mention the Suuhai's increased activity as of late..."

"If I may," Rayvar suddenly piped up, prompting everyone to whirl to him; Lorak even looked up with a surprised blink as the wolf opened his eyes. "I am siding with my Headmaster on this one, Master." The stick-like figure let out a thoughtful hum as Rayvar added, "The Prower child is close to reaching his prime. In fact, he may be the perfect candidate for the Ceremony should we manage to prove his skill."

Akumu stared at Rayvar for a few moments, only cut off when the thin silhouette gave off another chuckle. "You may have some foolish prefects, Akumu, but you also have very wise ones as well. Very well, I will hold off a little longer. I expect to see the Prower child on the sacrifice table, or at least a very powerful warlock."

"Understood, master Apocalypse," all four murmured, giving another bow as the image of the silhouette abruptly vanished, the mirror returning to its normal reflective state.


	14. Nick of Time

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 14-Nick of Time

Tails and Raiu both began backing away very slowly, not able to get very far before they were each backed into a wall. Horror continued to giggle hysterically, glancing between the duo and juggling about both fireballs he had conjured. "Which one of you should I fry first...how about..."

Without any warning whatsoever, Horror abruptly flung both fireballs towards Tails, the fox's eyes shooting open. He quickly dove to the side, barely able to avoid the large explosions generated by the flames and toppling to a halt. Horror gave off several more hysterical laughs, screaming, "Dance, Prower, DANCE!"

Tails hopped back up and quickly generated a shield of energy around himself, all of the attacks impacting with several more explosions that hid the fox from view. Raiu looked up with a gasp, squeaking, "Tails!"

The demon quickly lunged towards Horror's back, the shadow being looking around and abruptly bowing his head, Raiu flying right over it. He didn't stop there, however, and abruptly grabbed a hold of the horn on Horror's head, said shadow being blinking as Raiu swung around on it, abruptly going for a kick to the back of his head. However, Raiu instead phased right through Horror's body, the demon giving off a yelp as he rolled to a halt, the explosions dissipating enough for Tails to be seen; unharmed, though his shield quickly flickered out of existence. Raiu slowly got back up, noticing Horror lifting his head up once again with another wicked giggle.

"Heehee...look at you, jumping around, swinging like a little monkey." The shadow being extended his claws once again, all of them abruptly catching fire. "Let's see how well you can jump when you don't have any legs!"

Horror abruptly lunged towards Raiu once again, the demon yelping and leaping over the attacks; Horror attempted to give another swipe, however, a quick thrust from Tails generated a pillar of energy underneath Raiu that enabled him to jump higher. This process continued for a few more moments, Horror swinging at Raiu, who managed to avoid given a foothold by Tails. Finally, Raiu had once again landed on one of the pipes hanging in the air, Horror abruptly leaping upwards and lifting both claws. "Flighty little pest, aren't you?"

With this comment, Horror abruptly swung both flaming claws downwards, Raiu hopping away and causing the shadow being to abruptly sever the pipe, generating a massive explosion that sent Horror flying backwards, toppling to a halt. Tails and Raiu's eyes both widened in mortification, both screaming, "NO!"

Tails took several steps forward, taking notice of the large amount of dark energy spewing from the pipes, clouds of purple mist beginning to shroud the area. "N-...no..." Tails uttered lowly, slowly slumping into a crouching position. "Th-this can't be happening...n-not here..."

"T-Tails!" Raiu shotued, looking back down at the fox with a terrified expression. "W-we can still fix this! Y-you fixed the crack earlier, y-you can do the same with this!"

The fox very slowly looked up at Raiu, giving a slight blink as the demon extended a hand. A few more moments of silence, and Tails quickly spawned a pillar underneath him, catapulting him up to the severed pipe with a wince, having to look away slightly given the large mist. "Alright...here goes nothing..."

Tails abruptly planted both hands on the tube, giving a wince and resulting in a fairly bright glow to encompass the section they were standing on. Raiu's eyes widened as he watched the edge of the tube that had been sliced begin very slowly glowing and beginning to expand outwards. "It...it's working...!" the hybrid gasped, slowly beginning to adopt a smile.

During this time, however, the duo didn't notice Horror slowly standing up, some portions of his body now seemingly wispy and leaking. He grabbed a hold of one of his shoulders, glaring at the duo and snarling, "Y-...you...damn it..."

Horror held up one of his claws, extending the bladed fingers and causing them to catch fire once again. "Cheaters! You made me sever the pipe so that I'd fail my mission regardless! I'm going to KILL YOU!"

With this comment, the shadow being lunged towards them with a loud scream, Raiu glancing back at him with a shocked expression. Tails also glanced at the shadow being out of the side of his eye, blinking in shock as Raiu took a slight step forward. "I-I'll protect you...d-don't worry, just focus on finishing that pipe..."

Tails blinked and glanced back at Raiu, the hybrid spacing himself out slightly as Horror wound his claws back in preparation for a finishing stab. "DIE, YOU!"

Horror abruptly plunged them both forward, Raiu wincing and stiffening his body. He was, however, abruptly interrupted when Tails plowed into the hybrid's body, knocking him out of the way; Raiu opened his eyes just long enough to notice Horror's claws abruptly pierce several spots on the fox's body, going right through and splattering a large amount of blood on the pipes, as well as suspending him in midair. "What?"

"T-...TAILS!" Raiu abruptly screamed, lunging at the fox's body in a frenzy as Horror retracted his claws, dropping the now bloody fox to the ground. He almost slipped off of the pipe, however, he was grabbed by a now teary-eyed Raiu, who quickly looked over his body in a panic. "Sp-...speak to me...T-Tails, please!"

The fox, however, could only manage a strangled grunt and shiver, giving a few coughs and spitting some blood onto his chest. "G-...ggh..."

"Tails, you didn't have to do that..." the hybrid mumbled shakily, gripping him tightly with a tremble and sniffle. "I-I would have survived...wh-why..."

Horror gave off a rather annoyed snarl, flicking the blood from his claws and uttering, "Tch...that has to have been the stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone do. Especially from a warlock!" The shadow being waved a claw about, uttering, "If not for them the demon can't even exist!"

A few more moments passed with the only sounds being that of Raiu's frantic crying and Tails forced gasps, Horror slowly generating a smirk. "Of course, for us members of the Suuhai, this isn't an issue. For us, demons aren't simply pawns or drudges..."

Raiu only gave a tremble and whimper, gulping and panting with several more sobs and whimpers, Tails' vision becoming hazy and distorted. Horror folded his claws behind him, uttering, "Mistress Alicia will not be pleased with this turn of events...but there's nothing I can do now."

With this comment, Horror abruptly turned around, preparing to walk off. "Tch...to think, I've been wanting to see the day Prower was bloody and broken for a long time...and yet now that I do, I have no choice but to step in and save him. how pathetic."

Horror abruptly blinked, Raiu blinking in shock and quickly looking up; he very quickly noticed a familiar black-furred fox standing on a nearby pipe, arms folded. "K-...Kachimi...?"

"And who are you?" Horror remarked flatly, turning towards the fox, who gave off a rather toothy smirk.

"I could be asking you the same thing," he responded cockily, tilting his head to one side and giving off a slight crack. "Attacking our students, destroying magic pipelines, and attempting to steal the Mancer Core...I have enough information to know that, regardless, you're an enemy."

Horror's smirk returned, and he gave off a confident giggle. "Is that right? After seeing your little friend fall to me, you think you stand a chance?"

Kachimi's smile faded rather quickly, and he sneered at Horror. "Pfft, you're mistaken. Prower and his demon are NOT my friends."

Raiu couldn't help but stare at the fox as he hopped from his spot, stepping next to them and placing one hand on his hip. "However...they are my liability, so as much as I dislike it, I'm stuck with protecting them."

"Wh-...what're..." Raiu began, only to find one of Kachimi's palms pointed towards him. A bright flash of light and a spear of dark energy was shot from Raiu's head and phasing right through, the hybrid's eyes widening before drooping, him falling unconscious and landing on Tails.

"Now then," Kachimi remarked, glancing back at Horror. "I've got a pipe to finish, and a speck to take care of." He abruptly snapped his fingers. "Sawagasu."

Before Horror could make a response, a pillar of water shot out of the ground in front of him. The shadow general stepped back, Sawagasu abruptly shooting from it and pinning him to the ground with a wide smirk. "I'm on it."

Kachimi gave off a slight nod and stepped towards the severed pipe, planting both hands on it and beginning to generate a bright light that resumed where Tails had left off. "Tch," Horror growled, glaring at Sawagasu. "You think you can stop me just like that?"

With this comment, the shadow being melted into the ground, Sawagasu furrowing his brow and watching the shadow begin to form a ring all around him. "Big mistake!"

Several spears of darkness abruptly shot out of the ring, seemingly spearing Sawagasu all around and puncturing his body in several places, the serpent's eyes widening as Horror gave off a hysterical giggle. His giggle, however, was cut short when Sawagasu gave off a wide smirk. "That all you got?"

Before Horror could make a response, Sawagasu stomped on the ground, generating a ring of water all around him that seemingly knocked the shadows out of the ground and catapulted Horror into the air. "You...!" the shadow being growled, abruptly extending his claws like a spear towards Sawagasu.

The attack impacted rather forcefully, impacting the serpent in the chest and causing him to give a slight jerk. However, he looked back up, retaining a large smirk and snicker. "How..."

"What's the matter? Can't detect a similar technique to yours?" Sawagasu responded tauntingly, his body seemingly dissipating into a blue goop that began hastily crawling up Horror's claws. The shadow being's eyes widened as Sawagasu lunged from the goo, flinging his arm forward and slamming a fist into Horror's face, knocking them both to the ground with a crash.

"What...are you babbling about?" Horror growled, slowly standing up and glaring at Sawagasu.

Said serpent continued to smirk, gripping both hands and tilting his head to one side. "My body is comprised completely of water. Water that I can control, right down to the last molecule, to change its density and shape. I can be tough as steel, or fluid as a stream..."

Sawagasu lifted one of his hands, abruptly causing it to shapeshift into a very large blade. "...and I'm going to rain down on you with the intensity of a typhoon."

Horror's eyes widened in fury as he shot off a blast of fire towards Sawagasu, who abruptly leaped into the air, leaving behind a trail of water as he did so, blade still at the ready. "GRAAAHHHH!" Horror screamed in anger, firing off several more fireballs in a frenzy towards Sawagasu. "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

The serpent took all of the attacks with ease, his body giving off a few hisses in the process as he lunged towards Horror, blade lifted over his head. "Not today!" he shouted, abruptly slamming it onto the shadow being's head and slicing him in half, Horror giving off a loud howl before being flung back, abruptly melting into the floor and wall.

"Ggh...d-...damn it...th-this isn't over..." Horror growled lowly, fially disappearing from view.

Sawagasu straightened himself out, retracting his blade and looking up, quickly noticing Kachimi almost done with the repairs to the pipe. "Alright, he's gone."

"Hey!" Sawagasu abruptly turned around, quickly taking notice of Kinshou rushing into the room. "What's going on here?"

The fox was followed by Kentan and Milio, the two of them looking quite a bit chunkier than normal, due undoubtedly to their method of getting through the wall. The cat had a slightly pained look on his face, groaning, "I think I got a tummyache from those rocks..."

Kinshou looked up at the pipe, his eyes widening as Kachimi snarled, "What're you standing there gawking at me for, get up here and help me close this up before the damage becomes serious!"

He gave off a quick nod and catapulted himself up to the pipe, planting his hands on the other side of the severed pipe and aiding in the regeneration. "What's going on here?"

"I'll explain later..." Kachimi growled lowly, eyes trained on the pipe. "Right now, focus on fixing this or we're ALL going to be in deep shit!"


	15. The Nitefall Ceremony

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 15-The Nitefall Ceremony

After the events at the Mancer Core's holding cavern, Tails and Raiu found themselves in another session of recovery before being allowed on any other missions. Admittedly, this time it was more understandable; Tails himself had barely escaped in critical condition. He had to make sure to thank Kinsho and Kachimi u for looking out for them.

One morning found Tails currently in some sort of dining room, his robe hiding the multiple bandages all over his body. Before him was a plate of breakfast, pancakes, bacon, a glass of milk by the side. While the fox polished off his plate, Raiu finally stepped out from a nearby hallway, not having bothered to put on any of his clothes yet. He hybrid glanced at Tails slightly, mumbling, "G'morning..."

"Good morning," Tails responded, not paying much attention to the nude demon as a butler arrived to set a larger plate of food before him. Raiu quickly dove into his plate rather ravenously, Tails casting him but a momentary glance before speaking up. "...I'm starting to think I should get back to school soon."

This comment caused the demon to stop and nearly choke on his food, grasping at his neck as the butler standing by smacked him on the back, resulting in the demon abruptly swallowing the contents with several loud pants. Once he was sure he was alright, Raiu looked up and groaned, "T-Tails, you can't...you still haven't fully recovered."

The fox looked down with a saddened expression. "I-I know, but..." He gave off a loud sigh, hanging his head. "I have to..."

"No, you don't," Raiu responded, leaning forward with a slight shiver. "The Headmaster gave you a leave of absence, you have no reason to go back besides getting hurt even more than you already are."

Tails looked up with a serious expression, complaining, "But this is the second time this has happened in the last month! I'm losing a lot of steam, if this keeps up then I'm going to have lost what momentum I got and then I'll never catch up to the rest of the class!"

"B-but what about your health?" Raiu stammered rather quickly, standing up in his seat with a now genuinely horrified expression. "I-if you keep this up you're going to end up with long-term injuries, or even worse..."

This prompted the fox boy to slowly look up, obviously not as worried as Raiu himself was. "Raiu, you DO know that, even if I die, you have a pretty good chance of surviving, you'll be able to fill some other ro-"

"IT'S NOT ME I'M WORRIED ABOUT!" the demon practically screamed, slamming a pair of fists onto the table and causing it to crack slightly, both Tails and Raiu blinking as they looked down at the indentations. A few moments later, the demon abruptly sat back and and lowered his head, giving off a very faint sniffle and tremble that caused Tails to lower his gaze slightly.

"Raiu, I..." Said demon looked up only slightly, allowing for Tails to see the tears that had been pooling into his eyes and prompting the fox to look away with a wince. "Gah..."

The awkward moment was interrupted when another butler entered the room, looking down at Tails. "Master, you have two guests."

Tails gave another heavy sigh, waving a hand about. "Let 'em in, probably one of the guys with today's assignments..."

The butler ndoded and walked off; not moments later, Lyla entered carrying a few books, followed soon after by Sabishii. "Hey Tails," the cat girl remarked, setting the books down on the table next to him.

"Hi Lyla..." Tails responded back, Sabishii looking around; upon noticing the still unclothed Raiu, the kitsune gave a loud yelp and abruptly fell over backwards, a near-literal fountain of blood shooting from his snout and prompting everyone to glance at him. "R-Raiu, please go make yourself decent, if not just so Sabishii doesn't die of blood loss..."

The demon obeyed rather solemnly, exitting the room and prompting Lyla to glance at Tails oddly. The fox glanced back at her and, seemingly translating her contemplative expression, looked away and mumbled, "W-we just had a little argument, it'll be fine soon..."

"Uh...as much as I don't believe that, I think my little tidbit of information might help," she responded, sitting down in the chair next to Tails and causing him to look up with a blink.

"T-tidbit? Information?" the fox echoed, Lyla giving him a nod. "What is it?"

"Well," she began, folding her hands together. "The Headmaster's officially announced this year's Nitefall Ceremony."

The information caused Tails' formerly despondent expression to vanish, his eyes shooting open and his ears pricking up. "A-are you serious?"

"Deadly serious," she responded, casting him a small smirk. "If there was ever a moment for your work to have an impact, it would be NOW."

"W-well this changes everything!" Tails remarked rather hastily, standing up as Raiu re-entered the room in his usual attire. "I have to get back to school ASAP!"

"W-waitwaitwaitwait!" Raiu abruptly shouted, quickly rushing forth and prompting the two warlocks to cast him a glance. "What are you two talking about? Tails, we just discussed-"

The demon was cut off when Tails grasped at his shoulders, leaning towards him slightly and prompting a very visible blush to form on Raiu's face. "The Nitefall Ceremony Raiu, while we were out the Headmaster announced it's coming soon!"

Like with Tails, this caused a complete change of expression on Raiu's face, though his dissolved into noticeable discomfort. "Oohh...why did it have to be NOW...?"

Tails finally let go of Raiu, turning away and folding his hands together. "The Nitefall Ceremony is practically the most prestigious event in all of the Hellfields...only the most talented warlocks get to participate..." The fox glanced back at Raiu, continuing, "Not to mention it only happens once a year. We can't possibly pass up this chance!"

After getting over the momentary shock of the announcement, Raiu stepped forward with an alarmed expression, making a grab at Tails' arm rather gently and stammering, "B-but...i-it's too much of a risk...w-we can always wait until next year..."

Tails' expression abruptly turned serious, the fox lifting his hand to grasp at Raiu's in the process. "You're not wrong for getting so worked up Raiu, but..." The fox looked down, Lyla giving a slight blink as Sabishii looked up slightly, sniffling up some spare blood. "Another year passing by and skipping out on the Nitefall Ceremony, and who knows who else will be top contender? This year it might be Kinshou, or Rayvar, maybe even Kachimi, but next year it might be someone even better! We can't let any opportunity go to waste..."

Raiu looked down again with a slight wince, only for Tails to lean a little closer to him. "Raiu...my father was a participant in the Nitefall Ceremony...it was one of the last things he did before..."

Tails looked away with a slight wince, Raiu immediately looking down with a small sigh. "I have to Raiu, please..." The hybrid looked up slightly, taking in his partner's rather despondent and plreading look that caused him to give a slight whine. "Please, this is very important to me..."

"Ahem." The duo glanced back at Lyla, taking notice of Sabishii kneeling next to her and keeping one of the napkins from the table up to his now bloody and dripping snout. "This is actually really important to everyone, which is why they're trying just as hard. This kinda includes us."

Both looked at each other as Lyla gave a small smile, chuckling lowly. "That doesn't mean we're not rooting for you, of course. We're just trying to win a little more."

Raiu gave a slight blink and looked at Sabishii, who gave a nod. Warlock and demon exchanged another glance, Raiu finally looking down with a defeated expression and sigh. "F-...fine..."

This incited a smile from Tails, who quickly hugged Raiu and earned a bright blush from side demon. "Thank you, Raiu!"

Both were forced to look around after another bloody spurt knocked Sabishii onto his back, looking more than a little dazed. "W-we should probably get going soon..."

**-Later-**

The foursome were now on their way up the footsteps to the Pravus Academy; understandably, with Akumu's announcement, all of the students seemed much more alert and busy, going about their business in a no-nonsense manner, or even speaking to each other in hushed or excited tones. "Every time the Nitefall Ceremony comes around, the halls explode in even more life than normal..." Tails murmured lowly, looking around.

The group hadn't even gotten a few steps into the door when they heard a familiar voice clear his throat behind them. All four looked around, find the familiar, dark figure of Rayvar standing behind them, looking down with a serious expression. "Miles, I had thought the Headmaster was clear in that you should stay home until you were healed."

This came from Lorak, who stepped out of Rayvar's cloak with an eerie phasing effect. "R-Rayvar, Lorak," Tails murmured, stepping forth. "I came so that I could get some credentials for the Nitefall Ceremony."

Rayvar furrowed his brow in thought as Lorak sighed, stepping forth. "Your determination is admirable, Miles. However, you have your health to worry about, after all."

"I don't care," Tails responded somewhat forcefully, inciting a surprised glance from Raiu, Lyla, Sabishii, and even Lorak. "The Headmaster didn't say I wasn't allowed back on school grounds until I was better. He only said it was advised." The fox turned around, finishing by murmuring, "And I'm not taking that advice."

A few moments passed in silence, Lorak looking down slightly and giving a sigh. "...guess there's nothing I can do to actually stop you, then. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I do," Tails responded, casting a glance at Raiu and smiling slightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check in with the Headmaster about a mission."

The fox prepared to walk off, Raiu trailing along after him, only for a voice nearby to utter, "That won't be necessary."

Everyone slowly glanced around with a surprised expression, quickly taking notice of a gray wolf standing nearby, wearing a black cloak. "R-...Raibaru?" Lorak mumbled with a surprised expression, earning a nod from the tall wolf.

"The Headmaster wishes to see you, Prower," Raibaru murmured, turning around and beginning to walk off. "The same goes for you two as well."

Lyla and Lorak exchange a glance and blink, Raibaru adding rather abruptly, "Yes, that means the four of you two. Now come."

Without much else to be said, the three teams followed Raibaru through the hallways, finally arriving at a specific teleportation array that was larger and more menacing than the others; a clear sign that it lead to the Headmaster's room. Everyone stepped inside and, a flash of light later, were now standing before Akumu, who had his back turned to the group. "Sir, I've brought them to you."

"Thank you, Raibaru," the tall wolf uttered, turning around and prompting all but Raibaru to drop to one knee. "Rise. I have a very...specific assignment for you."

All six looked up with a surprised expression (barring Rayvar), Tails murmuring, "S-specific?"

"Yes. As you no doubt already know, the Nitefall Ceremony is coming soon," Akumu explained, folding his claws behind him. "I am aware that the timing is impeccably unfortunate given your recent injuries."

Tails winced and looked away, mumbling lowly, "That's the nice way of putting it, I guess..."

Akumu cleared his throat to get the others' attention back on him. "Do not worry, I have a method for you to restore your energy and get back in the game, as well as learn a new little trick in the process." Everyone blinked as Tails and Raiu exchanged a glance, Akumu closing his eyes. "Recent intel gathered has revealed that a group of Famulus are preparing to attack the Belltower Atrium, one of our more...powerful regulators in the area."

The group exchanged another glance as Raibaru continued, "We're sending the six of you there to intercept the attack and drive the Famulus forces out. It's not terribly large, but it is still worth being extremely cautious and careful."

Everyone nodded, Raiu abruptly standing up and clearing his throat. "F-...forgive me Headmaster, b-but...this seems exactly like the kind of situation we'd want to AVOID, wh-what with Tails in the condition he's in..."

The group glanced back at Raiu, Lorak adotping a slight condescending expression as Akumu closed his eyes, suddenly smiling and giving off a faint chuckle. "Mmmmm. You pose a very good point, Raiu. But there's something there that will do your warlock partner a world of good in the long run."

Raiu blinked in surprise as Tails turned back to Akumu, the tall wolf explaining, "This atrium is particularly special in that it is one of a select few that have been designed to bestow special boons on the warlock that accesses its power."

Tails gave a surprised blink, Akumu lifting one of his claws and generating a faint mist of black energy. "A special little power designed after the demon partner's ability to devour souls and gain power. A spell we call the 'Life Drain' curse."

The others' eyes widened slightly, Raibaru continuing, "It follows the exact same properties as a demon's soul devouring ability, in that it will enable you to restore your energy and strength by sucking the very life essence from your opponent. After claiming it, you should have time to wipe out some of the Famulus in the area until you're back in working condition."

"Remember, however, not to overindulge," Akumu murmured, lowering his claw. "The insanity factor is still just as real. Do you understand?"

Tails and Raiu both bowed their heads, eyes closed. "Yes sir."

"As for the rest of you," Akumu continued, his eyes trailing to Lyla, Sabishii, Lorak, and Rayvar. "The atrium is only able to bestow this boon once every few months. You are not to take it for yourself, no matter how large the temptation. Failure to comply will result in punishment."

The rather mancing way Akumu had said "punishment" caused even Lorak to cringe under the metaphorical force, all four nodding. "Yes sir."

"You are dismissed," Akumu finished, waving his claw about and prompting the six to step into the portal, vanishing in a flash of light.

A few moments passed in silence, Raibaru glancing at Akumu as he turned around to the mirror behind him; the exact same one he had spoken to his "master" prior with. "The Famulus presence there is a worry, yes...but we had no intelligence of an actual attack," Raibaru remarked, looking at Akumu fully. "They know the danger of upsetting the flow there just as much as we do. They rely on its regulatory powers as well."

"Yes, that is true," Akumu responded lowly, opening his eyes with a serious expression. "It's just a convenient excuse to follow through with our plan."

Raibaru nodded slightly, closing his eyes. "Involving Prower."

"Due to Rayvar's rather brash claim, Apocalypse will be expecting Miles on the offering table...and if not him, then someone beyond our current expectations," Akumu continued, looking up at the ceiling slightly. "I forgive him for not knowing the implications behind that, however..."

The smaller wolf gave off a very small smirk, leaning against the wall. "With Miles on his way to the Belltower Atrium..."

"We'll be killing two birds with one stone," Akumu remarked, glancing at Raibaru, his eyes seemingly aglow. "Miles will have enough power to get back into the fray for the Nitefall Ceremony...and his handy new ability will serve him well in ensuring that he stays under our thumb."

"Amadeus would be proud," Raibaru murmured, closing his eyes and giving off a slightly larger smirk. Akumu followed suit, the two of them exchanging a rather unnerving, gradual laugh as if Raibaru's comment had been a hilarious joke.


	16. The Belltower Atrium

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 16-The Belltower Atrium

A flash of light erupted from the ground, soon giving way to reveal Tails, Raiu, Lyla, Sabishii, Rayvar, and Lorak. The group slowly scanned their surroundings; they were at the foot of a rather large slope, prompting everyone to look up towards the top and notice the large tower set up at the very top. "Wow...that must be it."

"Be on guard," Lorak remarked, glancing at Tails and the others warily. "The Famulus may already be in the tower, expecting an attack."

The team slowly made their way up the slope, poking their heads over a rock and peering at the entrance. As anticipated, a few Famulus soldiers stood guard, looking around dutifully, as if waiting for something. "So...how do we get past them?" Lyla whispered lowly.

Lorak closed his eyes in thought, giving a low hum before Rayvar turned his head to the side. Though the others followed his glance, their hearing picked up on what he had detected before they saw it; a light rumbling sound. Tails narrowed his gaze, reminded of the sound of the war machine that had attacked the mines before. "What are they doing?" Sabishii mumbled, glancing at Lorak and Rayvar nervously.

A few moments later, and, as Tails had expected, one of their war machines came to a halt, all of the soldiers giving a salute as the sides opened, some more soldiers flooding out. Two in particular had stepped forth, looking more decorated than the others. The first was a somewhat short, pudgy brown-furred otter girl with very dark, almost black, dark blue hair. She was wearing plate armor not unlike Victor's, as well as the jumpsuit underneath. Behind her was a tall, brown-furred bat male in white robes with a blue design on the hems, the upper portion around the arms and torso hugging tightly to his skin and cut slightly to reveal the wings under his arms. "Those must be two of their commanders..." Tails uttered lowly, Raiu giving a slight gulp.

"So this is it, huh?" the otter girl remarked, setting her hands on her hips and looking up at the tower.

"Yes," the bat responded, stepping next to her. "The Belltower Atrium. One of the most powerful arcane regulators in the entire world."

The otter girl smirked rather widely, giving a low chuckle. "And it's gonna be under our control." She turned to the bat and some of the soldiers, calling, "Escort Priest Kedes to the top of the tower so that he may purify it."

The others' eyes shot open, Lyla glancing at Tails anxiously. "Th-they're going to purify the Atrium..."

"If they do that, all of the dark magic that flows through it will be converted to holy energy," Lorak uttered, narrowing his gaze. "Our magic will be drastically weakened, and theirs will be amplified!"

Tails gritted his teeth together, glancing at the others. "Then we know what we gotta do...stop that bat from getting to the top of the tower."

"Then we move fast," Lorak remarked, glancing at the others. "Let's work our way past the enemy lines and get inside."

During this time, the bat, Kedes, had blinked, his gaze headed towards the rock the group was hiding behind. "...I think we're not alone here..."

The otter girl turned towards the rock as well, furrowing her brow and uttering, "You mean...we have some rats to squash?"

A few moments passed in silence, the otter girl reaching across her back and proceeding to pull out a pair of somewhat large, rather intimidating curved blades. "Now now Tiacha..." Kedes remarked, stepping towards the otter girl. "We shouldn't go brutally slaughtering them..."

"Why not?" the otter girl, Tiacha, asked, glancing back at her partner with a slight frown.

The bat gave off a slight sigh, rubbing his face over. "Because we might be able to get information from them...not to mention the ethical issues. Sometimes I wonder about you Zealot Division commanders..."

"Wah, wah, quit complaining," Tiacha uttered, beginning to approach the rock and gripping both weapons. "I'll try and keep them in one piece, though Ii don't guarantee I'll be able to hold back enough!"

With this comment, Tiacha lifted both swords over her head, giving a loud yell and cleaving the rock in half, shattering it and causing the others to jump slightly. On the other side of the rock, however, was nothing, causing Tiacha to blink and frown. "Hey! There's nobody here!"

Kedes gave off a surprised expression, looking around at the other soldiers and murmuring lowly, "But...I could have sworn I had heard something..."

"You did." Suddenly, a blade found itself placed at Kedes's neck, the bat's eyes widening as Rayvar materialized behind him, Lorak stepping out of the wolf's cloak with his rapier in hand. "Famulus, I suggest you leave if you wish to remain alive," the fox warned.

Kedes gave off an anxious gulp, Tiacha smirking rather widely and stepping forth. "Hmph...good, I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show up!"

Rayvar narrowed his gaze, Lorak closing his eyes with a slight sigh. "I'd be wary of making threats, Zealot. We have your Priest at our mercy."

Kedes gave off a slight shiver, one of his hands reaching into his pockets. "I wouldn't be so certain, demon..."

Suddenly, a loud "crack" emanated through the air, Rayvar's eyes shooting open as he staggered back, blood now flowing from his leg where a bullet wound was now implanted. Kedes, on the other hand, managed to leap forward, pulling out the pistol he had used from his now torn pocket. "Get moving, you!" Tiacha shouted, glancing at Kedes. "They're going to have reinforcements here at any moment!"

The bat nodded in response, quickly diving towards the entrance of the tower with a few of the other soldiers. Lorak narrowed his gaze and dashed after them, uttering, "I don't think so, yo-" He was cut off, however, when Tiacha lunged after him, crossing her blades together and slamming the dull portions onto Lorak's back, plowing him into the ground rather painfully. "Guh!"

Kedes gave off a slight smirk as he looked back at Tiacha, uttering, "Good job! That ought to make this easi-"

Before Kedes could finish his sentence, however, the ground in front of him seemingly exploded, Lyla and Sabishii shooting upwards from it. The bat looked up in shock, the kitsune's tails abruptly catching fire as he uttered, "You're going to burn, Priest..."

A blast of flames were shot towards Kedes, Tiacha frowning and stepping forth, yanking him out of the way and tossing him to the ground. Lyla and Sabishii abruptly dropped to the ground at this time, standing back up and staring off with Tiacha. The otter girl cast them a hateful glare, Lyla uttering, "You're not going to purify this Atrium, you..."

Tiacha gave off an irate scowl, muttering, "Tch, pretentious warlocks...you can't simply defend this place that easily." She cast a glance at Kedes, murmuring, "You can get past them, yes?"

"Of course," he responded, extending his arms out and causing his wings to spontaneously flex outwards. Lyla and Sabishii blinked as Kedes leaped into the air, flying right above them and beginning to glide upwards.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Lyla shouted, only to be forced to look back down upon noticing Tiacha beginning to charge towards them. "Gah!"

"On it," Sabishii uttered, grabbing a hold of Lyla and coiling his tails up, managing to spring them out of the way as she swung her baldes at them, carving a fairly large gash into the side of the tower in the process. Lyla and Sabishii gawked at the damage caused from the attack, the kitsune uttering, "O-...oh boy..."

During this time, Kedes had managed to slide his way into one of the windows leading into the tower, rolling to a halt and looking up. He was at the very top of the tower; a large, open room with a large bell hanging from the ceiling in the middle. It pulsated with a bright purple energy, some of the markings engraved on it extending to the surrounding ceiling and walls. "This is it..." he uttered, begining to approach it. Before he got very far, however, an explosion at his feet caused the bat to quickly hop back with a yelp, whirling around. "What the?"

Kedes's attention went to the nearby doorway; Tails and Raiu entered the room, the former holding up his slightly glowing hand with a serious expression. "Not a step further, Priest."

The bat gave off a slight grunt, gripping his pistol as his eyes trailed to the bandages underneath Tails' robe. "...you don't seem in any condition to be fighting me, warlock," Kedes uttered, pointing his weapon at Tails. "I'll give you the opportunity to come quietly."

"Bite me," Tails uttered, quickly firing off another dark shot that Kedes quickly managed to sidestep. He paused for a moment, mumbling lowly, "...I don't mean that literally, just so we're clear."

"I'm a fruit bat," Kedes mumbled flatly, giving off a sweatdrop and sigh. "Either way, if you refuse to come peacefully, I have no choice but to subdue you with force."

With this comment, he fired off several shots towards Tails, who quickly dove back into the doorway with Raiu, watching as the bullets whizzed through the doorway and embedded themselves in a nearby wall. "'Subdue me with force'?" Tails echoed, glancing at Raiu incredulously. "On one side of the Famulus, you've got super violent hatemongers, and the other side chooses stubbornly to NOT kill?"

"That's religion for you," Kedes mumbled, halting his gunfire and beginning to reload. "Consider yourself lucky you're not the one having to deal with a Zealot."

Raiu gave a slight gulp, glancing at Tails and uttering, "B-better this guy than someone like that Victor character..."

Tails responded with a slight nod, quickly drawing an array on the wall behind him and planting one hand into it. The symbols glowed brightly before causing the wall it was implanted onto to begin shaking. Kedes turned towards it with a blink, a powerful force suddenly causing it to explode and sending a large spray of debris flying towards Kedes, forcing him to cover his eyes in irritation. "Ggh!"

Amidst the dust cloud, Raiu had sprinted forward, managing to plow a foot into Kedes's chest and knocking him onto his back, holding down his gun-wielding hand with a slight tremble. The bat grunted as Tails approached, glancing at the demolished wall and wincing. "Why can't I go anywhere without destroying something...?"

"D-doesn't matter, it's just a wall," Raiu uttered, turning towards Kedes. "L-let's restrain 'im now..."

"I don't think so," Kedes responded, taking a deep breath. Before Raiu or Tails could react, he let out a very loud screech, the air in front of him distorting and causing Raiu to let out a muffled yelp, the sound waves forcing him to grasp at his ears with a pained expression. With his captor disabled, Kedes kicked Raiu off of him, scrambling back to his feet and cutting off his scream attack, prompting Tails to rush to Raiu's side in alarm. "I suggest you keep in mind a bat's ability to generate sonic soundwaves next time you try restraining me so simply."

Tails looked up with a noticeable growl, Kedes pointing his weapon at the duo once more. Raiu looked up with a tremble, his vision noticeably disoriented and barely able to see straight. "G-ggh...c-can't..."

"Now then, to avoid any further violence, I'd prefer it if you two came with me," Kedes uttered, Raiu giving off a wary blink upon noticing something black beginning to collect along the wall behind Kedes.

"Wh-...what's...b-behind..." Raiu mumbled lowly, lifting a paw forward and causing Tails to finally notice the black formation appearing.

"B-behind you!" Tails shouted, quickly firing off a blast of enery towards Kedes. The bat blinked and quickly whirled around, Tails' attack sailing past his head and forcing the black structure to quickly move out of the way to avoid being blasted.

"Wh-what?" Kedes yelped, stepping backwards and pointing his pistol at the now blackening walls. "What is that?"

Tails and Raiu took a slight step forward, a voice emanating from the blackened wall and murmuring, "Hm...I thought you wouldn't be able to notice me...queer."

"I-I resent that!" Raiu responded back rather sharply, Tails glancing at him with a rather blank expression.

Kedes, on the other hand, kept his weapon pointed at the black wall, shouting, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Very well," the voice murmured, the black portion seemingly peeling from the wall and beginning to form into a tall, completely black figure. Tails' eyes widened as the memory of Horror came fleeting back, the figure's strikingly similar appearance instilling some fear into him. A pair of glowing yellow eyes materialized at the top of the head, a pair of black thorns extending from the figure's rather broad shoulders as their glowing yellow mouth opened up. "I am here for the bell. I suggest not resisting."

"H-...he looks like..." Raiu stammered, his vision finally stabilizing itself and causing his eyes to shoot open in anxiety.

The shadowy figure glanced at Raiu slightly, furrowing its brow and beginning to extend its clawed hand outwards; its fingers were bladed like Horror's, but weren't as long and wiry, instead having a more firm, powerful appearance to them. "Ah, you must be the pair that dealt with my subordinate Horror prior." Tails pursed his lips in anxiety as the figure lowered its hand, uttering, "My name is Terror. And I can assure you that, unlike him, I will not waste time trying to squeeze enjoyment out of you."


	17. Pravus vs Famulus vs Suuhai

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 17-Belltower Battles: Pravus vs. Famulus vs. Suuhai

It took Lyla and Sabishii a few moments to recover from the shock of the aftermath of Tiacha's attack, only moving once the kitsune yanked his master out of the way while their opponent plowed both weapons into the ground, overturning a few rocks in the process. Sabishii set Lyla back down as Tiacha turned about towards them, gripping both swords and uttering, "Hmph...you're awfully flighty..."

Lyla gave a small grunt, her eyes trailing towards Lorak and Rayvar nearby. "Hey! A little help here?"

"We're checking on the atrium itself," the fox responded, himself as Rayvar beginning to step towards the entrance of the tower. "No offense, but the fate of all of the Hellfields is more important than you two."

A vein popped from the cat girl's head as Tiacha glanced at the duo, pointing forth and shouting, "Stop them!"

All of the Famulus standing by abruptly charged after the duo, Rayvar glancing after them and prompting him and Lorak to dash inside. Tiacha glanced at them a moment longer, but was immediately forced to glance back at her opponents as Sabishii flung a ring of flames towards her, forcing Tiacha to block by crossing her blades in front of her. "Geh..." she uttered lowly, looking up as Sabishii's tails flared up once more.

"Keep her busy," Lyla responded, beginning to crouch down and rubbing her paws together.

Tiacha narrowed her gaze upon noticing the kitsune approached, prompting her to grip her weapons harder. "Hmph...if you want to die that badly, so be it! It'll take you on!"

With this comment, the otter lunged forth once again, Sabishii blinking in surprise. "Gotta keep her away from Lyla..." the vulpine uttered to himself, all four tails lunging towards Tiacha. They attempted to ensnare at her body, however, they were forced to back away when Tiacha bean swinging her weapons about frantically, coming dangerously close to slicing at the appendages a few times. Though no hits were actually exchanged, Tiacha was forced to a halt, Sabishii's paws folding behind his back. "C'mon..."

Finally, Lyla looked up, giving a nod and prompting Sabishii to retract his tails once more. Tiacha glanced around at the kitsune as Lyla stepped over to him, grabbing a hold of his back and prompting Tiacha to charge after them. "Now!" Lyla shouted, Sabishii planting his tails on the ground and generating an explosion that sent them rocketing backwards, managing to use the kitsune's tails to cling onto the tower wall.

Tiacha, on the other hand, smirked. "Tch, you can't expect a trick like that to work on me, do you?"

With this comment, the otter lowered her swords enough to plant them into the ground, then jerking them upwards and overturning a few other rocks which were flung towards the duo. Sabishii blasted them apart with a few more fireballs, however, Lyla's attention was drawn towards the now revealed and broken curse marking on the ground, the symbols torn apart by the destruction of the earth. The cat girl grunted lowly as Tiacha stomped a foot on the inactive marking, uttering, "I know all about what you warlocks like to do...setting up special marks on the ground that inflict damage or some effect on whoever steps on them."

A smirk appeared on Tiacha's snout as she finished, "Unfortunately, if the composition of the mark is broken up or disrupted, say, if the surface is broken apart, then the entire marking becomes useless!"

Lyla gave off a rather irate groan, Tiacha beginning to use her curved weapons to carve a chunk of stone out of the ground, lifting it over her head. "You underestimate me, Famulus," Lyla responded, Sabishii's tails beginning to flare up once again. "Curse markings are my specialty!"

With this comment, Tiacha slung the rock at the duo, Sabishii abruptly detonating the flames and catapulting himself and Lyla forth, just enough for Sabishii to kick off of the rock being flung after them. The force knocked it off course, enabling Tiacha to see the marking now placed on the wall they were just clinging to. It abruptly gave off a bright light that caused Tiacha to blink in surprise, right as the designated chunk of wall dettached, now sent flying towards Tiacha. The otter girl barely managed to slice it in half, however, this brought her attention away from her two opponents long enough for Sabishii to plant a foot into Tiacha's face, knocking her onto her back. "Gotcha!"

Sabishii landed lightly on the ground, Lyla letting go of his back and prompting Tiacha to slowly stand up, grunting lowly and wiping her snout. "Tch...lucky shot. It won't happen again!"

Tiacha planted both feet on the ground rather powerfully, cracking the ground slightly as Lyla took a small step back, narrowing her gaze. "What's she doing...?"

"Can't trap me in a curse marking if I don't move into it," Tiacha responded with a smirk, spacing out her legs slightly. "And if you try to place one around me, I'll just..." The otter girl abruptly lifted one of her hands and stomped onto the ground, cracking the earth slightly. "...break it apart!"

Lyla pursed her lips lightly, Sabishii looking up slightly. "Then...how do you expect to fight us from long range with those swords?"

"Simple," Tiacha responded, clenching her weapons and suddenly causing a rather intricate, glowing design to appear on the sides. "I take advantage of the enchantments placed upon it by my cohorts and smash you from a distance!"

With this comment, Tiacha crossed both blades across her chest, flinging them both outwards and suddenly sending forth several crescent-shaped blades of white energy towards them. Lyla and Sabishii's eyes widened, the duo quickly ducking to avoid the attacks as they smashed into the side of the tower with a rather loud explosion. "S-such great holy energy..." Sabishii uttered, looking up as Tiacha lifted her blades over her head once more, preparing for a downwards swipe.

"We can't keep up this dodging game forever," Lyla uttered, gritting her teeth lightly. "We have to end it!" Her gaze went towards Sabishii, the cat girl adding lowly, "Even if it means attempting that new technique..."

Sabishii's eyes widened slightly, the kitsune shivering ever so slightly. "But...we haven't perfected it..."

"We don't have a choice," Lyla uttered, watching as Tiacha's blades began glowing a little brighter. "It's that or let her kill us..."

**-Meanwhile-**

Tails and Raiu both took a small step back, Kedes narrowing his gaze and keeping his weapon pointed forward. "I don't care who you are, demon," the bat responded, narrowing his gaze. "I am here to claim this Atrium for the Famulus. Do not get in my way if you wish to live."

Terror gave off a small blink, flexing his claws about before murmuring, "Is that right...? Well, I'm here to claim it in the name of the Suuhai." Tails and Raiu both blinked in shock, watching as Terror motioned forth, explaining, "All it'll take is a little bit of effort to completely taint this Atrium and turn it into a fountain of dark energy."

"That's practically the opposite of what the Famulus is planning..." Tails murmured to himself, glancing at the two opposing sides.

Kedes gripped his weapon tighter, uttering, "I cannot allow you to do that, vile monster."

"Well I can't allow you to take this Atrium for the Famulus," Terror responded, clenching his fists for a moment.

Before anything more could be said, Tails abruptly cleared his throat, causing both competitors to slowly glance at him and Raiu. "Hey, ah...I realize we've reached a bit of an impasse. You want the Atrium to be a conduit for holy energy..." Raiu motioned to Kedes. "...and you want it a generator for dark energy." Raiu motioned to Terror.

"So why don't we just forget this whole thing and go back to our home bases, leaving the Atrium as both, alright?" Tails finished, clapping his hands together. "Solve both our issues?"

A few rather tense moments followed, Kedes and Terror exchanging another momentary glance. "Well..." Terror began, looking away nonchalantly. "Maybe we could...NO."

Before any other moves could be made, the shadow being lunged his claws forth, abruptly firing what looked to be a streak of pitch-black lightning towards Kedes, slicing right into his shoulder and causing the bat to yelp loudly, hitting his knees and grabbing at the now bleeding wound. Tails and Raiu both gave a gasp as Terror lowered his claw, black lightning now surging all around it rather powerfully. "Pathetic little kit...you don't expect me to actually stand by when the opportunity to empower the entire Suuhai force is right within arm's reach, do you?"

Tails pursed his lips slightly, Raiu glancing at the fox and murmuring lowly, "He...kinda has a point..."

"Now then. It seems you've suffered some major injuries at the hands of my cohort Horror," Terror continued, his glowing eyes beginning to trail over Tails' body and seemingly noticing the bandages coating his body underneath his robe. "Unless you wish to worsen them and risk death, then I suggest standing down."

Tails' eyes widened slightly and he took a slight step backwards, only for Raiu to space himself out slightly, managing to partially block Tails from view. "I'll hold him off 'til you can get to the bell and get that Life Drain spell..." the hybrid mumbled, Tails glancing at him in shock.

"A-...are you sure? We were barely able to hold of Horror together!" Tails stammered in fear, Raiu turning to him with a serious expression, though it was less threatening given his otherwise harmless appearance.

"It just needs to be long enough for you to get the spell...don't worry, I can handle it," the hybrid mumbled, giving a small nod. "And...if worse comes to worst..."

Tails fell silent, seemingly understanding what Raiu meant, though still having a nervous expression. "...well...a-alright..."

With this comment, Tails turned his attention to the bell, quickly diving after it and breaking into a run, wincing from each forceful step. Terror slowly glanced over at the fox with a frown, only to notice Raiu stepping in front of him. "Out of my way, rodent," the shadow being uttered, quickly thrusting his claws forth and firing another blast of black lightning towards Raiu.

The hybrid barely managed to avoid the attack as it tore apart the ground, now streaking towards Tails. The fox turned around fast enough to hold up both hands, generating a barrier that blocked the blast, both sides exploding and catapulting Tails backwards from the backlash. "Gah!"

The fox toppled to a halt right next to the bell, his eyes trailing about and soon trailing to Kedes, who was slowly staggering back to his feet, grasping at his wound. The bat turned to the bell and broke into a clumsy run, Terror glancing at the bat and causing him to whirl around, tripping ove rhis robe and toppling to a halt. "Gah!"

"I don't think so," Terror uttered, turning towards the bat and generating another blast of lightning in his grasp. Kedes's eyes widened as Terror lunged it forth; before it could impact, however, a bubble of dark energy encompassed Kedes and blocked the attack, both ends detonating again and sending Kedes toppling to Tails' side. The bat glanced up at the fox's glowing hand as the light faded, panting as Terror furrowed ihs brow. "You would actually waste time trying to protect that Famulus twit...? Akumu's students are growing so soft."

Kedes gave off a surprised blink as Tails lowered his hand with a small pant, Terror facing them both. "I'll kill you both with a single blow."

"Don't you dare touch Tails!" Raiu abruptly shouted, lunging towards Terror and forcing him to glance around, crossing his arms and blocking a straight kick from Raiu, the hybrid bending his leg slightly as Terror prepared to fling him back. "Haven't tried this since that injury a few weeks ago..."

Terror gave a slight blink as he noticed the air distort around Raiu's feet, suddenly seemingly exploding with a powerful shockwave that knocked Terror backwards, forcing him against a wall as Raiu landed expertly on the ground, looking up at Terror as the shadow being waved its hands about as if they had been stung. "Hmph...what was that...?"

Raiu held up both paws slightly, the air around them distorting; a close look would have shown some faint gray streaks winding about them. "While all warlock spells are usually alike with some differences depending on their skill level...demons have special powers and spells unique to them. As for me...I can utilize dark energy to control wind currents surrounding my body."

Terror gave a small blink as Raiu wound both paws backwards, a more noticeable, swirling wind current generating around them both. "Personally, I'm not even a fan of physical combat...but I'm still new to these techniques, so I usually don't have a choice."

With this comment, Raiu thrust both hands forth, generating a surprisingly powerful swirling torrent of wind forth, slamming into Terror and pinning him to the wall as several gashes were carved into the walls and floor, Tails inching back a little more towards the bell. "Wait..."

The fox glanced back towards Kedes, who was attempting to get back to his feet with a small cough. Tails pointed a glowing hand at the bat, who paused before continuing. "Why did you protect me...?"

Tails gave a slight blink and lowered his hand slightly, looking down. "...just because I'm a practitioner of black magic doesn't mean I don't have standards." He glanced back up at Kedes and continued, "You and the Famulus put us in a rather bleak limelight...and while it's true we're what you'd label 'evil' and stuff, we're not completely senseless."

Kedes fell silent a moment more, Tails glancing back at the bell. "...but if you still try and purify the Atrium, there will be no more mercy. Understand?" When Kedes didn't respond, Tails turned back to the bell, approaching it and murmuring, "Now...I just need to find out how this thing works..."

"That symbol," Kedes suddenly responded, pointing at the bell and causing Tails to glance at him with a surprised blink. He followed the bat's finger to one portion of the bell, where some of the markings convened around the image of an elaborate hexagon. "Our High Priest has told us how this Atrium operates...there are two markings that symbolize the flow of dark and holy energies. I was told to purify the dark marking in order to reverse the flow of dark energies and turn the Atrium into a generator of holy power. All it takes is a small siphon of the symbol to gain the power bestowed by the Atrium."

Tails fell silent with a surprised expression and opening his mouth. "Why're you-" The fox, however, cut himself off when Kedes cast him a rather unimpressed stare that made him remember his own words. Tails blushed slightly and glanced back at the bell, uttering lowly, "O-oh...right...thank you..."

He gingerly placed both hands on the hexagon marking, able to feel the sheer power radiating off of it and causing him to shiver from the feel. His gaze then went to Raiu, soon noticing the hybrid's wind-based assault dying down and enabling Terror to lean forth just a bit more. Tails' eyes widened and he quickly began to siphon, the feeling of raw dark energy pulsing through his body following. His eyes widened, his body stiffening slightly from the filling sensation that caused his eyes to widen slightly, the markings around the hexagon abruptly beginning to glow a bright purple. Kedes stared as well with a small blink, Terror and Raiu also glancing at the fox as a loud hum became audible throughout the entire room. "T-Tails..."

With Raiu's attention diverted, Terror managed to block the rest of the wind and fling a lightning blast at the hybrid, forcing him to hop back with a yelp. "Die, kit," Terror uttered, finally shooting another blast of lightning at Tails. Before it could impact, however, a streak of light caused the lightning to part and explode harmlessly on either side of the bell, forcing Terror to glance at Kedes's now shaking pistol. "What?"

"Stopping you Suuhai here is enough for me to consider this mission a success," Kedes responded with a very slight smirk that forced Terror to growl lowly.

"I've had enough of messing around with you twerps," Terror uttered, crouching slightly and growling, embedding his claws into the ground with a low growl. "I'm going to destroy all three of you, and send a very clear message to the High Priest and Headmaster!"


	18. Terror At the Tower

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 18-Terror At The Tower

"I hope you've made your peace," Tiacha finally uttered, smirking widely and lifting both blades high over her head. "Nighty night!"

The otter girl abruptly slammed both weapons forcefully on the ground, beginning to form several cracks along the earth while streaks of glowing white energy trailed swiftly towards Lyla and Sabishii. The duo barely managed to leap to the side to avoid, Tiacha beginning to spin about, her blade still carving through the ground and finally flinging a large lump of rock towards them. Lyla's eyes shot open, the cat girl stepping back while Sabishii lunged in the way. "Not so fast," the kitsune grunted, barely managing to catch the boulder with his tails. He leaned back ever so slightly from the force, grunting and ducking his head back down. "Mrph..."

Sabishii's eyes widened, however, when he noticed Tiacha dashing forth, blades dragging along behind her and glowing even brighter. She smirked rather widely, finally flinging both blades upwards and sending a rather large wave of glowing light and collected gravel towards the duo. "You're through!"

"I don't think so..." Lyla grunted, very quickly flicking her tail about on the ground and dexterously managing to form a marking. She grabbed Sabishii and fell backwards into it right as the wave impacted them, generating a powerful explosion as it slammed against the side of the tower, causing it to shake rather viciously.

The effects were felt up on the top, Terror, Raiu, and Kedes staggering slightly from the force. "Wh-what is that?" the hybrid squeaked in anxiety.

Kedes frowned quite a bit, sighing lowly and uttering, "I told them we shouldn't have brought Tiacha, but noooooo..."

"Tch...so the Famulus girl is so recklessly threatening to bring this entire tower down?" Terror uttered, his claws crackling even more viciously. "In that case, I'll have to be even quicker in disposing of you."

Raiu gave a slight grunt, his eyes quickly flying towards Tails, who now seemed blank-faced and wide-eyed as streaks of dark purple energy flew around his arms, his fur visibly standing on end and causing his namesakes, bangs, and ears to begin flapping about wildly. "I don't think so..." the hybrid uttered, turning back to Kedes as some of the wind began fluctuating and swirling around his arms. "I'm going to protect my master...even at the cost of my own life."

"I'm going to end up seriously regretting it later, but..." Kedes murmured, pointing his pistol towards Terror once more and narrowing his gaze. "...you Suuhai are a higher priority than Pravus at the moment."

Terror glanced between the duo with a blank expression, pausing before closing his eyes. "...I see. If that is truly how it will be."

With this comment, the shadow being ducked his head, giving a grunt as streaks of dark energy began slowly wafting from the surrounding walls and floor, drifting towards Terror's body. Kedes blinked, his weapon quivering slightly. "...what's he doing...?"

Terror's body seemingly grew outwards slightly, the shadow being finally giving off a loud roar before several spikes shot out of his body, giving him the appearance of a porcupine. Raiu and Kedes's eyes widened, the hybrid leaping back and squealing, "Hit the deck!"

Demon and priest dove at the floor as all of the thorns shot from Terror's body with a loud roar, all of them impaling the surrounding walls; fortunately missing Tails as he remained spellbound by the bell, though the walls, floor, and ceiling were now covered with pointed thorns. Raiu and Kedes both slowly sat back up, looking around with a confused expression. "What is this...?"

"My strongest technique," Terror responded stocially, standing back up and cracking his neck from side to side. "There is no escape from my lightning field...you will be burnt to a cinder."

Suddenly, all of the spikes began crackling rather loudly, lightning pulsating from all around them and forcing Raiu and Kedes to back into each other. "All of those thorns are electrocuted..." the bat uttered, narrowing his gaze slightly.

Terror abruptly motioned a hand forth, all of the spikes sparking even more viciously before giving off several wild bolts of lightning. Raiu and Kedes were forced to hit the floor once more to avoid being zapped; however, some from the ceiling streaked down towards them, forcing Kedes to grab Raiu and roll out of the way, flopping into another clearing. "G-gah...we're never going to be able to avoid all of these attacks..." the hybrid groaned lowly, his fur beginning to stand on end.

"Correct," Terror responded with a large smirk, chuckling lowly as some of the lightning began streaking into his claws. "No one that has ever ventured into my Lightningrod Field has escaped alive."

With this comment, the shadow being thrust his charged claw forth, sending several streaks of lightning towards Raiu and Kedes. They both barely managed to leap backwards, though the bat ended up backing into one of the spikes, causing the lightning to trail to him and zap him all over. Kedes yelped rather loudly and collapsed to the ground, Raiu's eyes widening as he looked down at him. "H-hey!"

"Gotcha," Terror uttered, using a now charged finger to jab at Raiu. The hybrid looked up just in time for a lightning bolt to strike him right in the side, yelping as well before falling to one knee, grabbing at the bloody wound. "Good, good."

Raiu gave off a loud whine and grunt, looking up and clenching his teeth together as Terror began traversing towards them. Every spike phased right through his body, its electric charges trailing into his body and to his claws, causing them to glow even brighter and crackle ferociously. "I've got you right where I want you," the shadow being uttered with a steadily widening grin, Raiu attempting to crawl backwards a bit further while Kedes's pistol clammered in his hands. "And now, I bid you, a fond farewe-"

Terror had thrust a claw forth, preparing to smash it into Raiu, however, it was intercepted by a spear of deep purple energy slicing right through his fingers, causing Terror's eyes to shoot open and for the creature to stagger back with a shout. "GRAH! What the...?"

Raiu and Kedes both gave a blink, the air behind them beginning to feel uneasily tense and heavy. Both slowly tilted their heads back to get a look at the cause; Tails was now stepping forth, hunched over slightly with his arms hanging by his sides, the fox's fingers and palms leaking similarly-colored purple energy at an alarming rate. Tails' head was bowed until he stepped in between the hybrid and bat, Raiu stammering nervously, "T-...Tails...?"

Terror slowly grunted as his claws reformed themselves, Tails finally lifting his head to reveal that the entirety of his eyes had become a deep, brightly glowing purple. Kedes blinked slightly as the shadow general growled, "So you managed to get the necessary boost from the bell...congratulations, you'll get a taste of raw power before dying! Savor it!"

With this comment, the shadow being lunged towards Tails, crackling claws firing off lightning in several random directions as he prepared to stab them forth. Before they could make contact, however, Tails limply leaned back and thrust both palms forth, a dense-looking wave of purple energy flying from his fingertips and demolishing the incoming shadow general's claws, sending bolts of lightning flying outwards harshly and forcing Raiu and Kedes to duck for cover. Terror's eyes shot open and he recoiled once more with a loud howl, snarling as his claws began slowly reforming. "What the hell? How did you..."

Tails slowly slumped back into a slouching position, glancing back up at Terror before opening his mouth. Instead of saying anything, a rather crazed grin materialized on the vulpine's face, showing off unusually sharp, jagged fangs that gave him an almost demonic appearance when combined with his still brightly glowing eyes. A very light, somewhat wet-sounding groan came from Tails' throat, accompanied by a small line of spittle leaking from the side of his mouth. "T-...T-Tails..." Raiu murmured lightly, now adopting a fearful expression.

"Damn it...he took too much power," Kedes grunted, finally managing to steady himself and staggering slightly. Raiu glanced back at Kedes with a shocked expression, the bat uttering in annoyance, "He's become oversaturated with dark energy, it's deteriorating his mind into that of a merciless demon!"

The effects of the battle were also felt outside of the tower, the air becoming slightly more charged and causing Tiacha's ears to quiver slightly. She tilted her head up, grunting with a small frown, "Tch...Kedes is probably slacking off up there...letting those demons do what they want with the bell..." The otter girl took a slight step forth, beginning to speak once more. "I ought to get up there and show him how it's really-"

Tiacha was cut off when the ground in front of her gave way, the otter girl blinking and quickly hopping back with a shocked expression. She looked down, only now noticing the smoke from her earlier attack dissipating; it revealed that the ground where she had struck Lyla and Sabishii didn't have any signs of real damage, instead appearing a lighter coloration and less solid. She blinked in surprise, murmuring, "What is this...?"

Before she could ponder this any further, the ground around Tiacha seemingly exploded, four orange tendrils abruptly shooting out and ensnaring around the otter girl's limbs. Her eyes shot open with a loud yelp as she attempted to wrench them away, shouting, "H-hey! Where did these come from?"

"From below," Lyla's voice responded; Tiacha was barely able to twist her head around to notice Lyla and Sabishii slowly rising from the ground behind her, the cat girl smiling. "When you launched that last attack against us, I placed an array on the ground that weakened the composition of the soil and enabled us to slide safely underground. From there, all we had to do was wait for you to lower your guard enough to launch our attack."

Tiacha responded with an unimpressed sneer, trying to turn around to face the witch and her demon partner. "Tch, so you trapped me again. What's stopping me from breaking free like last time?"

"I'm glad you asked," Lyla responded rather confidently, smiling before glancing at the kitsune. "Sabishii, are you ready?"

"Unfortunately..." the kitsune responded rather drearily, Lyla clenching both hands together and causing her fingertips to begin glowing a bright red.

Before Tiacha could make a response, Lyla abruptly slammed both hands into Sabishii's back, the kitsune's eyes widening as he gave off a slightly strangled yelp. He lurched his back forth with a slightly pained expression, Tiacha blinking in response. "...what kind of sick game are you playing, witch?" the otter girl grunted. "How is that supposed to-"

She didn't get the opportunity to finish her sentence, as the rings around Sabishii's tails abruptly lit up with the same red light as Lyla's fingers, several streaks of magic circulating around Sabishii's tails and coursing into Tiacha's body. The otter girl abruptly gave off a strangled yelp, her eyes shooting open as a burning sensation began shooting throughout her entire body. " G-GRAH!"

Tiacha didn't seem to be the only one affected, as Sabishii also trembled with a few winces and groans, his body trembling about as Lyla pursed her lips. "You made it come to this, Zealot," the cat girl uttered, narrowing her gaze slightly. "And now it's all over."

"What...is...happen-...ing...?" Tiacha growled in between shouts and strangled roars, trying to glance at Lyla and the still lightly convulsing Sabishii.

"As I'm sure you should know, all demons have their own unique ability amongst the usual powers at their disposal," Lyla explained. "Sabishii's is one we don't usually experiment with often, and for good reason...it taxes heavily on his body."

Tiacha blinked slightly as Sabishii glanced back up, biting his lower lip with his eyes squinted shut. "His tails act as more than just extra limbs...they're conduits for magic power," Lyla continued; the memory of Sabishii unleashing fireballs from their tips shot through Tiacha's mind. "Including my own. So with a specially altered curse marking, I can plant it on his body and enable him to transfer the curse's effects to whoever happens to be touching his tails."

The otter girl's eyes widened slightly, grunting faintly as she was able to feel her skin burning and tingling all over, taking on a vaguely reddish tint. "With it, my curse marks become so much more versatile weapons...unfortunately, Sabishii has to put up with the curse mark's effects as well," Lyla finished, looking down with a slightly resentful expression. "I lessen the load on him by using fire-based spells with this tactic as it's the element he's most comfortable with...such as the immolation spell you're currently experiencing."

"GRAAHH!" Tiacha finally yelped, some slight burn marks beginning to appear on her body while her armor and clothing began getting singed. "When I get down...I'm going...I'm going to..."

Lyla only took on a blank expression before leaping into the air, landing on Tiacha's shoulders and lifting up her slightly glowing hands. "You're going to just black out and stay out of our way."

With this final comment, Lyla slammed both palms into Tiacha's forehead, her eyes shooting open before the otter's entire body fell limp, her eyes slowly closing shut. Lyla leaned back up, murmuring lightly, "She's out, Sabishii."

The kitsune rather abruptly released his grip, Tiacha landing with a noisy flop onto the ground while Lyla hopped to his side. Sabishii's tails landed unceremoniously around him as he hung his head with a few squeaky pants, the cat girl sliding behind him and tracing her finger along his back. The red markings on his tails and back abruptly vanished, Sabishii giving off a loud gasp and slumping to his knees, panting slightly. "A-aaagggghhhh..."

Lyla gave off a slight sigh as well, sliding down to the demon's side and rubbing gently at his back, saying quietly, "Are you alright...?"

"I've been better," Sabishii uttered lowly, looking up with a slightly groggy expression. Lyla only frowned and stood back up, the kitsune looking up at her through somewhat hazy eyes. "We won, right...?"

"Yes, we did," Lyla responded, folding her arms with a small smile and nod. She was unable to say much more before a loud explosion was heard above, both jumping and looking up at the belltower. The lights at the top floor had become a bit brighter and more violent, Lyla beginning to adopt a somewhat nervous expression. "...what the hell is Tails doing up there...?"

Back at the top, Terror was dashing backwards with an irate expression, trying to shoot back lightning bolts at the source of the explosions, which were currently plowing through the spikes set up around the entire room with ease. The source was, of course, Tails, who was now breathing somewhat heavily as some streaks of dark energy leaked from his mouth, his hands and wrists now completely cloaked in extremely thick dark energy. Terror growled again and fired off another bolt-like spear at the rabid fox, who simply lifted both hands and caught the attack, the dark-colored electrical blast abruptly fading into his grasp and causing Tails to give off a loud, seemingly relieved sigh before sticking his tongue out ever so slightly. Terror growled again and leaned back, his angered expression slowly beginning to betray a more anxious one. "...what...the hell...are you...?"

Tails looked up again, his crazed expression still persisting and his breathing deepening slightly. Finally, he spoke, in a somewhat raspy and desperate tone, uttering, "I...am...staaaaaarved..."

Raiu could only blink as Tails slammed both hands into the ground, causing the flooring around him to abruptly take on a pitch black coloration. The hybrid demon was quickly yanked backwards by Kedes as a large shockwave of purple energy was expelled outwards, smashing the rest of the spikes and sending several stray bolts flying about. Terror held up both hands in anger in an attempt to block, roaring and finally lunging forth, his claws expelling another dangerous amount of lightning. "Allow me to satiate your hunger for PUNISHMENT!"

Instead of blocking, Tails lunged forth with a seemingly rabid roar, his hands slicing right through Terror's incoming claws and shredding the lightning blasts. Terror could only give off a shocked expression before Tails' hands literally tore through the shadow beings body, the fox's mouth opening itself widely and ripping through the remainder of the shadow being's body with his fangs. "AAAAAGGGGRRRRHHHH!"

Kedes and Raiu both looked up from behind the bell with shocked expressions as Tails landed back on the ground, Terror's now torn body fragments beginning to slowly slide into Tails' cloaked hands and opened mouth, the shadow general's expression now one of pure shock and fright as his body was slowly sucked away. "This...can't...be..."

Tails only groaned lowly before tilting his head back, opening his mouth a bit further and giving a rather loud, snarling groan while Terror's pitch black, mist-like form began wafting down his throat. Raiu's eyes widened slightly from the somewhat eerily similar scene as the demon's own Soul Absorption technique; given Tails' crazed expression, however, made it instead more frightening. The fox let out another, slightly muffled growl as the rest of Terror's body wafted into his mouth, Tails' robe now appearing somewat smaller and more skintight on him and causing the sash around his waist to appear somewhat strained. He then panted heavily and ducked his head back down, his back rising and falling heavily before Raiu slowly managed to stand up. He slowly stepped forth, murmuring rather lightly. "...Tails...are...you alright...?"

"Never...never been better..." the fox uttered back, retaining his insane and raspy tone. He slowly looked back up at the demon, his eyes having seemingly brightened while some faint traces of shadow energy wafted from his mouth, only to be seemingly lapped up by the fox's tongue smacking at his lips. "...but I want MORE."

Raiu's eyes widen quite a bit and he stepped back slightly, murmuring quietly, "T-...Tails? Wh-what're you-"

"I can see why you love that Soul Absorption so much...it's so good," the fox continued to utter, beginning to slowly stagger towards his demon partner with a slightly lolling head. Raiu began to step back ever so slightly with an increasingly nervous expression, Tails continuing, "We should do it more...lots more...how about we start with...that Famulus behind you...?"

The hybrid blinked once more in shock as Kedes rather hastily pointed his pistol towards Tails, Raiu quickly pointing the weapon away. "N-no! R-remember, restraint, moderation, you told me all about it!"

"And that was before I got a taste of it for myself," Tails uttered once again, his eyes widening even further; the fur on his body was beginning to stand up on end, beginning to steadily take on a slightly darker tint. "Now I say, forget those inhibitions...run wild, free, rabid..."

Raiu fell silent for several moments, giving off a shaky murmur and stepping back a bit further, rather unceremoniously flopping onto his rear and trying to crawl away. "N-...n-no...th-this isn't you...i-it isn't at all...i-it can't be..."

Tails only gave off a low, ominous chuckle before Kedes pointed his pistol at the fox once more, narrowing his gaze. "...I may've made a deal with you prior, but there was no bit about you going insane on demonic energies. It's time I put you do-"

Kedes didn't get to finish his sentence as Tails lunged towards him with a loud, rabid-sounding screech; the bat fired off his pistol in alarm and shouted in shock, the bullet completely missing as Tails prepared to lunge down at him. However, he was intercepted in midair and slammed forcefully into the ground by a black-furred foot, giving off a slight grunt before a palm was slammed into his forehead, the fox's eyes shooting open once more; he gave off a small groan before abruptly falling unconscious, limply laying down while the black-furred figure removed his foot. "Hmph...I have to admit I'm disappointed in you, Prower. I thought you were better than that."

Raiu and Kedes quickly looked up at the source of the voice; Lorak, who turned towards the both of them while Rayvar, standing behind the fox, slung the unconscious Tails over his shoulder. "The Suuhai attacked, am I correct?"

"Y-yes, and...T-Tails, he..." Raiu stammered quickly, his body trembling quite violently. Lorak only sighed before approaching his fellow demon, resting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him forth slightly.

"Calm down, calm down," the fox uttered, now a little more soothingly. "He'll be just fine, as soon as we extract the excess demonic energies from his body." Lorak very slowly looked up at Kedes, beginning to furrow his brow slightly while his other hand began trailing to his rapier. "As for you..."

The bat very quickly steeled his gaze, uttering sharply, "The fox and I had an agreement. I would not touch the bell, and we disposed of the Suuhai shadow demon together. As a member of the Famulus Priest Division I am sworn by oath to uphold a promise or agreement."

Lorak fell silent for a moment longer before slowly nodding, turning back to face Rayvar. "In that case, leave. Now, before I change my mind."

Kedes nodded rather slowly, beginning to turn towards the window outside of the window and diving out, prompting Lorak to turn towards the still shivering and wide-eyed Raiu. "...he'll be fine. Now come on, we have to let the Headmaster hear our report."


	19. The Dark Chapel

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 19-The Dark Chapel

The ever familiar sound of a bell echoed throughout the halls of the Pravus Academy, several students now passing through the halls energetically and going about to their respective posts to collect assignments or report in otherwise. Amongst them, two figures were walking a bit slower; Tails and Raiu, both of whom wore blank expressions. The fox had since then abandoned his bandages, his wounds having completely dissipated. Neither said a single word to each other or even passed the other a glance, weaving past the other students before arriving at their numbered mirror, Tails beginning to set some of his books and supplies within them and swapping for others. Raiu simply stood by and watched before closing his eyes with a small sigh. "Hey, you two!"

Raiu slowly turned around to the source, watching as Lyla and Sabishii began approaching. The cat girl gave a smile, saying, "I was wondering when you two'd be back at school."

Tails only gave a half-interested hum in resposne, his demon glancing at the fox before inching towards Lyla and Sabishii somewhat warningly, speaking in a low tone. "...T-Tails hasn't been himself ever since we came back...h-he hasn't said a single word to anyone..."

Both Lyla and Sabishii blinked, glancing at each other. "The teachers called on him during class at least, didn't they...?"

"I had to answer for him," Raiu murmured, closing his eyes with a saddened expression. "...he's taking what happened at the belltower very hard..."

Raiu was interrupted by a somewhat loud slamming motion that caused the trio to jump and whyirl around, where Tails had somewhat forcefully closed his locker after getting his supplies. "...just because I don't want to talk about it doesn't mean you guys should do so behind my back," the fox uttered lowly, Raiu shrinking back with a nervous expression.

Lyla, on the other hand, steeled her expression and stepped forward, grasping onto the fox's shoulder. "I'm glad you're willing to move past this so quickly, but that doesn't mean you should dismiss our concern so easily."

Tails' body visibly tensed up when Lyla touched it, and his hands gave a small twitch as if preparing to lash out, however, this was followed by his entire body loosening up, his head hanging down with a sigh. "...I'm flattered you're concerned about me, Lyla, but you don't need to be...what with the Nitefall Ceremony going on, you should be more concerned about that."

The cat girl blinked in surprise as her hand slumped down from his shoulder, Sabishii clearing his throat. "What're we, chopped liver? Raiu and I are concerned about you too."

Tails didn't give a response to this, instead preparing to walk off. His hybrid demon looked after him with a steadily growing anxious expression, Lyla glancing at Raiu slightly as he hung his head before beginning to follow. "Ahem."

All four of them froze up and turned around; Kachimi was now standing behind them with folded arms and a serious expression. "Cat and fag, get to class."

"Don't act like you don't like it, I've seen the inside of your locker," Sabishii murmured with a small hint of playfulness before Lyla dragged him off rather quickly.

Kachimi simply scowled after the duo before turning towards Tails, who turned around, though Raiu kept staring at the prefect. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," Kachimi uttered, narrowing his gaze in irritation. "Failure to pay respect where respect is due WILL get you in trouble."

A few moments passed in silence before Tails turned back to Kachimi, trying his best to hide his sour expression and overall failing. Kachimi gave a small, restrained shiver and growl before finally sighing and giving a sickly sweet smile. "Don't look at me like that, you should be thanking me."

"For what...?" Tails asked lowly, narrowing his gaze slightly.

At this time, Sawagasu arose from the floor in front of them, handing a gem over to Tails and causing the fox to look down at it inquisitively. "I know you're trying to get a head in the Nitefall Ceremony," Kachimi explained, folding his arms. "Well I spoke with the Headmaster and managed to snag you a pretty nice job that ought to increase your standing..."

Tails looked back down at the gem as Raiu glanced at Kachimi, murmuring, "What do we have to do...?"

"There's a rogue spirit loose at the Dark Chapel north of here," Kachimi explained, folding his arms. "So you two are going to get rid of it." A smirk slowly formed on the fox's muzzle as he added, "And fortunately for you, there're no energy-manipulating batteries in that area, so you don't need to worry about wrecking them or getting intoxicated."

Tails' fur visibly bristled as his grip on the gem tightened considerably, Raiu blinking and trying to pull him away. "Th-thank you, now if you'll excuse me we've got to get going..."

Despite his best efforts, it took a few moments before Raiu got Tails moving away from Kachimi, the fox chuckling once again and smirking steadily wider, Sawagasu slowly sliding back to Kachimi's side. "That's right, get going...waltz right into the Chapel like the dull pawns you are..."

**-Later-**

Another flash of purple light pierced the otherwise blackened air, and Tails and Raiu had been dropped to the grassy floor below. Both slowly looked up through the fog-ridden area; several gravestones were scattered all along the ground. Raiu looked around somewhat nervously, uttering, "I thought we were going to the Dark Chapel...?"

"We're there," Tails responded flatly, beginnign to step through the fog. "The Chapel is part of an especially old Famulus settlement that was long since wiped out. It was used as a graveyard as well as a church, so it would be easier to conduct ceremonies for honoring their dead and stuff."

"Oh..." Raiu murmured, beginning to slowly follow after the fox and glancing at all of the graves somewhat anxiously. "...I suppose it kinda accentuates the...sinisterness of the area, so they were never removed, huh?"

Tails only gave a half-interested hum as a light began slowly coming into view through the fog, finally clearing enough so that the duo could see a very large building comprised of dark stones, several large windows giving a glance inside of the surprisingly lit church. A large steeple at the very top only made it appear more devastating, several stone gargoyles set up around the roof. Raiu glanced over at the windows with a purse of his lips, murmuring, "...the lights are still on...?"

"Obvious sign that this spirit's a little more intelligent than your run of the mill monster," Tails responded, narrowing his gaze slightly. "We'll have to be a little more wary."

Raiu nodded slightly, the duo approaching the front doors. Raiu, however, stopped at the foot of the steps as Tails stepped up and placed a hand on the door, only to pause and glance after Raiu slightly. "...come on, we can't waste our time here. If we want a spot in the Niterain Ceremony we have to finish our jobs both quickly and efficiently."

"I-I know, I know, but..." Raiu slowly looked away with a wince, holding his hands to his chest nervously and sighing. Tails continued to stare stoically before, for the first time today, his expression softened and he stepped down to the edge of the steps.

"This is...still about what happened at the Belltower, isn't it...?" Raiu's eyes widened considerably and he shook his head.

"No, that's not it...you've just been..." The demon looked away again with a sigh. "...ever since that mission you've been so distant...you barely say a single word, you stay focused solely on your work..."

A few moments passed in silence before Tails stared at Raiu once more. "...you're worried about me too...?" The fox shook his head slightly and turned away, giving a small sigh. "...Raiu, Lyla had a reason for not needing to concern herself with me, and you do too. Why-"

"I know, I know, business relationship and all that, but I don't care!" Raiu responded somewhat forcefully, leaning forth and causing Tails to glance back at him inquisitively.

"...I was going to say that as partners we need to have the utmost faith in each other..." Raiu paused for a moment, his formerly alarmed expression turning into one of extreme embarrassment.

"...o-...oh...r-...r-right, you're right..." Tails blinked slightly as Raiu began stepping up the stairs hastily, uttering, "Y-you're right, w-we should hurry up..."

The fox couldn't help but stare after Raiu with an inquisitive expression before following, now looking at his feet in thought. The loud groan of doors opening caused Tails to look up; the inside of the building wasn't as dark as the inside, though the dark stones comprising the walls and the rotted benches and carpet gave it an otherwise malevolent appearance. What caught the duo's attention, however, was that the chandelier hanging above was lit, the source of the light outside. "...it's amazing that thing is still up there..." Raiu murmured lowly. "I'm surprised the chain hasn't rusted and whatnot..."

Tails narrowed his gaze, pursing his lips with a thoughtful hum. Raiu slowly glanced back at him, the fox taking a small step forth and looking down at the carpet, then at the benches. He bent down towards the bottom of one of the aisles, picking up a book; it still seemed mostly intact, though the covers were half eroded away and the pages soon following. Tails gently whacked it against his hand; what Raiu noticed immediately ws its lack of dust. "Either this is a really tidy spirit...or we're not the only ones here." Raiu opened his mouth to say something, only for Tails to slowly glance back at him. "You know what I mean."

The demon closed his mouth back at this, only to blink and close it, his ears quivering. His eyes steadily widened, Raiu murmuring gently, "I think I hear something..."

Tails slowly stood back up, the duo slowly approaching a nearby doorway leading deeper into the church. The hallways were just as dilapidated, with pictures and statues scattered here and there; like with the chapel, the halls were lit as well by candles. Giving a faint "shush" to Raiu, Tails began leading them along the walls, their ears quivering as the source of the noise became steadily louder. "...someone's here."

"Nngh..." Raiu gave a slight wince and scratched at the side of his neck, murmuring quietly, "This place is making my skin crawl, we should hurry up and-"

The demon found his mouth immediately clamped shut by Tails' mouth, muffling before quieting down. They both fell silent, able to more noticeably discern the sound; a soft, female voice was mumbling something quietly a distance down the hallway. "...that's...a prayer," Tails murmured, his eyes widening. "Famulus."

Raiu's eyes shot open as Tails let go of his mouth, the demon whispering with a nervous expression, "What's a member of the Famulus doing here?"

"This is a place of holiness to them," Tails replied, turning to face Raiu. "They must be trying to cleanse it of the rampant spirit..." The memory of the intact chandelier and books trailed through the fox's mind, and he added, "They must come here often, and be behind the upkeep of this place..."

The demon slowly nodded in understanding, Tails beginning to inch towards the source once again. Raiu looked at him in alarm, hissing nervously, "Wh-why are you going towards them?"

"Bonus points," Tails replied with a somewhat wider smile. "Clearing the spirit out AND taking a member of the Famulus with us should boost our chances even higher..."

Raiu blinked in worry, but nonetheless nodded, the duo continuing to sneak through the hall. They finally arrived at a half-opened door, slowly peering through it. As expected, the voice was coming from inside, a room where the surroundings were noticeably more put together compared to the rest of the building. Some candles were lit up on various shelves and dressers, and a picture depicting three figures was hanging above; all appeared to be light-skinned raccoons in Famulus robes. One tall, adult male, a shorter teenage female, and an even smaller, child-like girl. The duo's gaze went to the figure kneeled in front of the portrait, wearing, as they expected, the pure white robes of the Famulus. A hood covered their face, but a striped, brown-colored tail was coiled up behind them. Tails blinked, backing away from the door and whispering, "I was right, it is a Famulus..."

The demon and warlock cast each other a momentary glance, Raiu mumbling lowly, "Do we get the jump on them now...? Set up a trap?"

"You stay motionless." Before Tails or Raiu could do anything, something emerged from the walls behind them and abruptly lunged forth, ensnaring around their hands and feet, pinning them to the walls with a loud yelp. The door in front of them abruptly opened up revealing the Famulus on the other end standing up. They turned around and lowered their hood, revealing their equally light brown, shoulder-length hair and darker colored stripe running across their eyes; a raccoon with a striking resemblance to the smallest in the picture. "I didn't expect to find member of the Pravus here..."

"Who are you?" Tails growled lightly, leaning forth and trying to fight against the restraints; they appeared to be comprised of liquid-like material coming from the wall itself.

"My name is Suki, and I'm a member of the Famulus's priest division," the raccoon girl explained, frowning. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Tails paused for a moment, and finally shot back, "Miles Prower, son of Amadeus Prower, and my demon partner Raiu. We came here to remove a rogue spirit. Now tell us what YOU'RE doing here."

Suki blinked, then gave a small frown before folding her arms. "I come here all the time...I try to preserve this church as best as I can. And I'd like to point out that there is NO rogue spirit around here."

Both captives gave a surprised blink. "...really...?" Raiu murmured lowly, glancing at Tails. "But...the Headmaster told us..."

"The Headmaster didn't tell us anything, Kachimi did," Tails replied blankly, glancing at Raiu with a small frown. "...he may be a prefect, but I wouldn't put it past him to have set this whole thing up just to get us in trouble."

Suki cleared her throat at this, the bindings around the duo's arms and legs tightening. "You're going to do more than get in trouble..." she replied bluntly, narrowing her gaze. "I'll take you back with me and let the High Priest decide what to do with you."

Tails gritted his teeth together as Raiu whimpered gently, the fox glancing at the walls with a thoughtful expression; a few seconds of studying the walls, and he was able to notice the base of the ropes seemingly melded into the wall. He narrowed his gaze and, after a few moments of thought, he twisted his hands around and planted his palms against the walls. "You'll do no such thing."

Before Suki could give a report, Tails' namesakes abruptly swished outwards against the walls, he tip glowing a deep purple and forming a circle behind him. Within seconds, an array had formed behind him and abruptly caused the ropes to dissolve, as well as the vast majority of the black coloration on the walls, seemingly melting off like liquid. Tails and Raiu were dropped to the ground, Suki's eyes widening as the demon lunged at her, pinning the raccoon to the ground. "Guh! What..."

"Just as I thought," Tails murured, glancing at the now gray-colored stones behind him. "These looked a little too clean...you've been painting over them as part of your daily upkeep, and tried using the paint to trap us."

Suki only grunted lowly as the fox began approaching, glancing down at her. "Now, you're coming with us." The raccoon could do little as Tails planted his palms together, abruptly forming a chain of purple energy that he wrapped around her entire body, binding her arms together and enabling him to stand Suki up. "Come on, every second we waste here is another second we don't get to relish Kachimi getting his ass handed to him by the Headmaster for tricking us like that."

The trio soon returned back to the middle room of the chapel, walking towards the doorway and stepping through the aisle. Suki only glared at Tails slightly and gritted her teeth together, uttering, "You're not going to get away with this..."

"Funny, seems like I am now," Tails responded with a slight air of superiority, glancing at his captive. "Telling me otherwise isn't going to spontaneously make it happen."

Tails turned back towards the oncoming doors, only for Suki to narrow her gaze. "...I beg to differ, really."

Suddenly, a large gust spewed out from below her robe, almost knocking Tails over and causing Suki to seemingly fly right out of her robes, flipping before landing at the other side of the room behind Tails and Raiu. Both whirled around; Suki's now lithe form seen a bit easier by a simple top, cowl, and shorter skirt with the same color scheme as her robes. Suki smirked before holding up both hands, two glowing orbs oflight beginning to form. "You didn't think I had a backup plan, did you?"

Tails only grunted and pulled in his energy chain, grasping it like a whip and shouting, "You want to do this the hard way? Fine!"

The fox flung the weapon towards Suki, who shot both energy orbs towards the incoming weapon and caused it to shatter, the links falling apart and dissipating into dark energy. Tails' eyes widened as Suki formed a few more smaller orbs, one perched on each of her fingers. "You're out of your league, warlock," she called, lifting both hands up. "This is holy ground, you can't win!"

With this comment, Suki flung all of the smaller orbs towards Tails and Raiu, who dove to both sides and hid behind the pews to avoid the attacks, impacting the carpetting and sending some loose boarding and dust flying about. Suki slowly began stepping forth while forming a few more energy orbs, Raiu glancing at Tails in alarm. "Wh-what do we do?"

Tails narrowed his gaze and slowly looked up, his gaze quickly falling on the chandelier above them. He glanced back at Suki and, after waiting for a few moments, promptly stood up and fired a bolt of dark energy towards it. The raccoon blinked and flung one of the orbs upwards, impacting her opponent's attack and causing a small explosion that rained some bits of energy down towards them. Suki turned back towards Tails, who had now leaped over the pew and lunged towards her, both hands cloaked in dark energy. The raccoon's eyes widened from the abrupt movement and she shot her other orb towards the incoming vulpine, who held up both hands to deflect the attack, both combatants becoming enveloped in the resulting explosion. Raiu gasped and stood up from his spot behind one of the pews, shouting in a panic, "Tails! Are you alright?"

In response, said fox slid backwards from the smoke cloud, panting and holding one of his arms. "Yeah, I'm fine...I think she grazed me, though..."

On the other side, Suki had also emerged from the smoke cloud, a small scratch-looking mark glowing with light purple energy now streaking across her exposed stomach. She looked down at it with a small sigh, murmuring, "It's either a little bit of easily dispellable magic damage or capture by enemy forces..."

The smoke cloud finally cleared enough for both sides to look up, Suki narrowing her gaze and forming a glowing orb in each hand once more. Tails gritted his teeth together and clenched both hands, dark magic beginning to leak from them while Raiu crouched slightly in a combative stance. "I'll admit you're a feisty opponent, warlock," the raccoon called, taking a very slight step back. "It's going to do wonders for my pride being able to say I took you down."

"I am a member of the Prower family," Tails responded, narrowing his gaze. "Giving anything less than my utmost best during battle would be an insult to my family!"

With this comment, the fox thrust both hands outwards, abruptly firing off a large wave of dark energy. suki's eyes widened slightly and she barely managed to shoot both orbs forth quick enough to punch a hole in the attack large enough for her to leap through. Suki landed expertly on the other side, however, she was unable to avoid being smashed in the face by a flying kick from Raiu, sending her toppling backwards and smacking into the wall at the end of the chapel. Raiu skidded to a halt and looked up while Tails began approaching, nodding in approval to the hybrid. "Good job, Raiu."

The demon gave a small blush and nod, Suki looking up with a small grunt at the unusually bashful demon. Tails finally approached Suki with a narrowed gaze, uttering, "If you've finally managed to see the pointlessness of your fighting, then I'll be taking you in now."

Suki only growled back, planting her palms onto the ground below her. "I...am far from being done here."

With this comment, a powerful gust of wind was shot out from underneath Suki, sending her flying into the air and causing both Tails and Raiu to quickly glance up after her, twirling around as Suki landed expertly back in the middle of the chapel, turning to face them. "I will never back down! A Famulus priest never turns their back on evil!"

Tails narrowed his gaze and prepared to step forth, only to pause upon noticing the air behind Suki beginning to distort slightly. His serious expression was replaced with one of curiosity as some sort of jointed tendril-like object began appearing from the ground behind her, the tip abruptly sprouting several bladed edges. Suki, remaining completely oblivious, formed another orb in both hands, winding her arms back and shouting, "Prepare to meet retribution, dark wiza-"

"Behind you!" Tails rather loudly shouted, Suki giving only a slight blink before the bladed appendage flung itself towards her. She whirled around just fast enough to notice it coming down, only to be smashed to pieces by several dark bullets fired by Tails. she ended up floppong onto the ground, her magic orbs dissipating as she watched the seemingly wooden bits of the demolished appendage fall all around her.

"Wh-...what was...?" she murmured lowly, Tails and Raiu approaching. Before much more could be said, several similar-looking appendages shot out of the ground through what looked to be magic portals, blades sticking out of each one. Suki's eyes shot open and she yelped, squealing, "What's going on?"

Tails and Raiu cast a slightly exasperated expression at suki before yanking her away from the flailing appendages as they smashed the ground, hopping a safe distance away before the raccoon wrenched herself away from them with an irate expression. "Maybe Kachimi was more truthful than we gave him credit for..." Raiu murmured nervously, watching as several more wooden appendages popped out of the ground towards them, smashing several of the pews in the room.

"Impossible!" Suki shouted, partially in anger and partially in steadily creeping fear. "I didn't register any demonic forces until you two arrived!"

The trio quickly dove towards the nearby door as the bladed appendages attempted to smash them once more, Tails firing off several bullets in an attempt to ward them off. "Well maybe you need to get your sensory spells checked!" Tails shot back angrily, the trio finally diving into the doorway and slamming it shut. Right as they did so, Suki planted both hands on the door, causing it to glow brightly for a few moments before the dull impacts of the blades on a magic barrier could be heard. Suki turned towards Tails and Raiu with a frown, shouting, "What do you two have to do with this?"

"Nothing!" Tails shot back angrily, gritting his teeth together. "We were sent here to get rid of that thing!"

Suki narrowed her gaze back and advanced towards Tails, grunting, "Well I will not simply allow a rogue demon to come in here and make a mess of this church...I am going to personally get rid of this thing!"

"WE are," Tails responded, jerking Raiu towards him by the arm and causing the demon to wince. "It is what we originally came here for, and we're not going to simply let some Famulus prude come in and steal our thunder!"

"Ahem," Raiu murmured rather softly, his low voice surprisingly catcing the attention of the other two. "...we both want this demon gone, why don't we work together...?"

"Work together? With you Pravus harlots?" Suki shot back incredulously, folding her arms and looking away, her nose in the air. "Hah! You're out of your mind."

Tails only glared back at Suki with an irate expression, looking away and grunting, "Of course, I'm willing to put aside my differences to get a job done and you Famulus wouldn't do it if you were at gunpoint...never mind that I've done it before not a few days ago..."

This comment seemed to catch Suki's attention, the raccoon slowly looking around towards Tails with a small blink and softening expression. "...you helped one of us a few days ago...?"

"Some bat," Tails responded, casting a slightly disinterested glance at Suki. "If you must know."

"Brother Kedes...?" Suki murmured, now taking on a noticeably interested glance before turning towards Tails. "You were the one from the belltower...?"

Raiu nodded slowly, Tails turning towards the hallway and beginning to walk off. "Now, we need to find out where those tendrils were coming from, they have to have some sort of brain controlling them...we'll need to scour this entire place top to bottom..."

"No you won't," Suki rather abruptly responded, Tails and Raiu turning back to her as the raccoon turned to face them. "I know this entire building like the back of my hand. I'll help you get rid of this demon, but ONLY to preserve this church."

A few tense moments passed in silence, Tails and Suki continuing to stare off. Finally, the fox gave a slow, solemn nod, murmuring, "Good. Come on, we need to be quick about our business."


	20. Uneasy Alliance

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 20-Uneasy Alliance

A door was quickly forced open, Suki stepping in and glancing around inside with a serious expression. Tails and Raiu soon followed, eyeing their new surroundings; they had arrived at the top of the steeple, where a few boxes of supplies were scattered about around a bell; several large windows enabled them to see the ground below. "So, is there something in here that's going to help us find the controller...?" Tails asked warily, glancing at Suki as she moved some of the boxes.

"If it's still here, then...yes!" The raccoon triumphantly pulled out what looked to be some sort of small mallet, a few ornate runes adorning it. A confident smirk trailed across her face as she approached the bell, murmuring, "This is an old security system my big sister taught me about here."

Tails and Raiu cast each other a slight glance, the latter murmuring, "Your...sister?"

Suki stopped admiring the mallet for a moment, her smile fading and prompting her to glare at the duo. "She was taken by Pravus warlocks when I was younger, and our father was killed trying to save her. That picture you saw me kneeling in front of earlier?"

Both blinked, exchanging another glance as Suki felt over the runes on the mallet. "...well...we're sorry to hear that," Tails remarked lowly, his comment causing the raccoon girl to freeze.

"...what're you apologizing for?" she asked warily, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "The Pravus scored a pretty big victory then, my father was among the best we had."

Raiu slowly glanced at Tails, who steadily lowered his head with a sigh. "...I'm sorry because I know how you feel. My father is renowned for being one of the strongest warlocks to ever come out of Pravus, if not THE strongest."

Suki blinked slightly as Tails looked away, his expression now wistful and longing. "Not long after I officially became a warlock and summoned Raiu here for the first time, my father disappeared and was later found dead outside of a ruined Famulus establishment."

The air became heavy and silent, Suki blinking in surprise. She lowered the mallet slightly, mumbling quietly, "...I...didn't know, I'm sorry..."

"What're you apologizing for?" Tails asked, looking back up and seemingly attempting to adopt Suki's own tone. "The Famulus scored a pretty big victory then, my father was THE best we had."

Suki couldn't help but recoil slightly at her own words being thrown back, the raccoon tightening her grip on the mallet and looking away with a small wince. "...no one should have to go through the pain of losing their loved ones so abruptly, not even you Pravus."

The two continued to stare at each other in silence once more, Raiu finally clearing his throat and stepping forward. "...I know this is a really touching moment between so-called enemies, but we do have a situation at hand..."

"O-of course, of course," Suki remarked, looking back up and approaching the bell. "This bell and this hammer were both enchanted with a spell that, when struck together, would lock in any hostile enemy forces and make their appearance known to those in the church."

"Useful..." Tails murmured, folding his arms with a nod. "...and as for me and Raiu...?"

Suki glanced back at them with a stoic expression, and replied, "So long as you don't go hostile on me, then you'll be free to leave once we're done."

Tails nodded slightly, folding his arms. "I wasn't planning on it, so we're good there."

The raccoon nodded back, tightening her grip on the mallet and swinging it about, slamming it against the side of the bell; the effects were instantaneous, the runes on both glowing brightly as the dull ringing sounded out. Raiu visibly cringed from the effect, his ears splaying back as Suki lowered her mallet, the effect continuing for a few moments before stopping. "...is that it?" Tails asked, glancing at Suki.

She nodded back, setting the mallet back in its original place and saying, "Yeah. Don't be surprised if your dark magic becomes a tad shaky, it is a holy spell we're relying on."

"I gotcha, I gotcha," Tails murmured, a small hint of disappointment in his voice. "Now then, how do we locate the source from here?"

"Follow me," Suki responded, beginning to open up a trapdoor underneath them. All three slid through, landing rather nimbly in another hallway. She glanced all around with a hum, closing her eyes with a small sigh. "...the trail is rather faint, so much time without usage must've dampened the spell's effects..."

"You can still find it though, right?" Raiu murmured worriedly, blinking. Suki nodded in response, the hybrid sighing in relief. "Oh, that's good..."

With this comment, Suki began leading the duo away, walking somewhat slowly and somewhat deliberately. "This doesn't feel right...not like any rogue demon I've ever dealt with, it has a different...feel to it."

Tails furrowed his brow in curiosity, his namesakes swishing gently as they walked. "...how so?"

"I don't know," Suki murmured lightly, opening her eyes ever so slightly. "This just...doesn't feel right. Too uniform, too sane..."

The fox fell silent, slowly glancing at Raiu with a curious expression. "...this couldn't have been deliberate...could it?"

Suki glanced back at the duo with an expectant expression, Tails and Raiu turning back to her in silence. When it became obvious she was waiting for an explanation, Raiu began. "...there are two different types of demons in the world: wild, rogue demons and subservient, warlock partner demons. The former have little sense aside from self-preservation and feeding, while the latter have actual sense and sentience."

"It makes it easier for us warlocks to control and establish a link with them," Tails continued, folding his arms. "Rogue demons, on the other hand, aren't so easy...they can be enslaved, but only by particularly powerful warlocks and for a limited amount of time. It's that chaotic energy they have about them, it makes it harder to establish a stable link."

"When they are enslaved, however..." Raiu finished, looking down with closed eyes. "That chaotic aura is forced into a more stable and uniform one; it's that forced calmness that makes enslaving a wild demon a temporary thing."

Suki blinked slightly, tilting her head to one side. "So...you're saying we're dealing with another warlock with an enslaved demon at their command?"

"It might be Suuhai," Tails remarked, glancing at Suki. "...admittedly, I've never heard of them even bothering to enslave demons before..."

"Whatever the case is..." Suki muttered, turning back around. They continued to walk before approaching another door. The raccoon girl clenched both fists, saying lowly, "It should be behind this door."

Tails and Raiu both gave a nod, Suki taking a deep breath before thrusting bothn hands forth; a rather powerful blast of wind forced the door open and enabled them a peek on the other side; they were now, however, in the outside graveyard. Suki blinked slightly, Tails giving a small cough. "...tell me, does the bell's spell restrict them to being inside of the church, or...?"

"No, it extends to the edge of the graveyard," she replied, slowly stepping outside and looking around warily. "So it's possible to be hiding out here...anywhere really, I can't get a precise lock..."

The trio slowly walked further into the graveyard, Raiu sidling closely to Tails in anxiety and pursing his lips in concern. The fox and raccoon kept glancing around warily, narrowing their gaze before coming to a halt. "We're at the center of the graveyard..." Suki uttered lowly, clenching both fists. "...alright you, come out here!"

A few moments passed in silence, the trio walking around steadily in a defensive circle. "...you sure just calling out to it is going to work...?" Raiu murmured gently.

"It's better than wasting our energy running around," Tails replied, glancing at Suki. "And it doesn't appear to be going anywhere...right?"

Suki shook her head. "It's completely stationary...it must be hidden, waiting for an-"

The raccoon was interrupted when a resounding bang was heard from all around, several objects shooting out of the ground around them. The others gasped and looked all around, watching as the objects took on a more tangible form; several jointed, bladed tendrils like before, waving about dangerously. Tails, Raiu, and Suki backed into each other, the fox grunting, "Well, it's arrived..."

"But the controller isn't anywhere," Suki remarked with a frown. "Where is it hiding?"

Tails narrowed his gaze, eyeing the swaying tendrils before they all lunged towards the trio from all sides. The fox's eyes shot open as Raiu grabbed onto him, a powerful gust shooting all three of them into the air over them, all of the tendril blades clashing against each other with a metallic clang. Suki formed two orbs of energy in her hands, uttering, "Let's take them all out in a-"

"Wait!" Tails shouted, moving an arm in front of her to stop the attack. "I see something!"

Suki blinked as Tails narrowed his gaze; the gale that knocked them upwards also sent the mist around them flying away, enabling the fox to see several very faint, purple lines criss-crossing the area and connecting to the tendrils. "I think they're being controlled by those dark energy strings..."

The raccoon blinked in surprise, watching as gravity began slowly pulling them back towards the ground. All of the tendrils slowly raised themselves back up, their blades pointed at the falling trio. Tails narrowed his gaze, shouting, "Keep them at bay while I trace the control lines!"

"Can do," Raiu murmured, kicking off of Tails and diving towards the tendrils. Before the blades could impact, the demon twisted himself about, managing to force the blades apart long enough for him to dive down, landing with a rather powerful impact on the ground. The resulting gust caused the mist to shoot upwards once more, long enough for Suki to lunge down and swing her hands outwards, sending several smaller orbs outwards to smack the tendrils away.

Tails landed next, diving towards one of the targets and reaching towards the ground, quickly managing to plant his hand on one of the energy trails. "Alright, I got it!"

Raiu and Suki both glanced around, Tails closing his eyes in focus and tensing up. His namesakes tilted upwards with a small quiver, the line he had grasped starting to glow even brighter. The others slowly watched the trail light up further, beginning to lead away from the graveyard and trailing up the side of the church. Raiu blinked slightly, Suki murmuring in curiosity, "But...I didn't feel anything up there..."

"You said it yourself, an extended period of misuse made that spell less reliable," Tails replied, standing back up with a narrowed gaze. "Let's hurry up and get over there!"

The others gave a small nod, beginning to follow the lit up trail; right as they did so, however, the tendrils that had been attacking them dove back into the ground, Tails whirling around long enough to watch the other energy lines now snaking their way towards them. The fox's eyes widened, prompting him to begin pushing Suki and Raiu even faster. "They're coming after us, get moving!"

Both glanced around long enough to see the energy lines come even closer, causing Suki to narrow her gaze before grasping the warlock and demon. "Hold on!"

Before the lines could come within striking distance, Suki expelled a blast of wind that knocked them into the air, right as the tendrils surfaced to swipe at them. Tails glanced back long enough to see the appendages flail about madly as they flew out of reach, prompting the fox to murmur, "They're not moving..."

The trio expertly landed on the roof of the church, staring at the trail Tails had highlighted as it reached the very center of the building. The source was what looked to be a small, wooden helmet sitting on the ground, a pointed snout sticking in the front of it. All three slowly approached, Raiu murmuring, "That's it...? That's what's causing this?"

Suki generated another orb of light in her hands, narrowing her gaze and murmuring, "Doesn't matter, that thing is as good as destroyed!"

Before an attack could be launched, however, the eyes of the helmet abruptly began glowing a deep purple, all three blinking as it slowly began rising out of the ground, a faint wooden clanking noise heard coming from it. Something began rising out of the ground, attached to the bottom of the helmet; once it had emerged fully, it was revealed as several more jointed tentacles, much like the ones that had attacked them. The group's eyes widened, Raiu gasping, "That's...that's the demon we're after?"

A rather loud hissing was heard emanating from the helmet, several of the tendrils forming together underneath it into what looked to be an even larger, bladed tentacle. Right afterwards, the masked demon spun around like a wheel, preparing to slam the oversized blade onto the trio. All three expertly leaped out of the way as the attack smashed into the roof, sending several tiles flying to the sides. Suki glanced back with a narrowed gaze and growl, shouting, "You damage this place and you'll need to answer to me!"

With this comment, the raccoon girl began firing off a large spray of smaller light orbs, the mask lifting up all of the smaller tendrils to block. The force of the attacks, however, began forcing it to back up, finally pressed up against the side of the steeple. Suki smirked widely and formed a single, larger orb in her grasp, uttering, "Got you..."

Before she could fire off the attack, however, the demon forced its enormous bladed appendage into the steeple; instead of smashing into it, however, the tendril seemingly phased into it, causing Tails to blink in shock. A rather thick, purple line, much like the one they had used to trace to the demon in the first place, began shooting along the ground towards Suki, who didn't notice the oncoming attack. "Raiu!"

Despite Tails' vague command, the demon partner understood, lunging at Suki and knocking her away right as the enormous tendril shot out of the ground, mere inches away from them. Suki, her attack dissipated, forced Raiu off of her and grunted, "What the hell was that for?"

"That thing is capable of forcing its tendrils into the ground!" Tails shouted back, the masked demon giving off another dangerous hiss. "Then it can cause them to appear anywhere it wants!"

Suki's annoyed expression deteriorated into shock, watching as the bladed appendage began shooting town towards them once more. Before it could impact, Suki flipped backwards, causing it to instead smash into the roof before tearing towards Raiu. The demon yelped and rolled to the side, finally leaping up and landing on top of the steeple rather nimbly. Once they had all backed away, the tendril began phasing back into the ground before reuniting with the masked controller, Tails blinking once more in curiosity. "Why did it reel it back in...?"

From his perch above, Raiu leaped down, beginning to accelerate towards the pinned demon. It quickly glanced back up, forcing its smaller tendrils into the ground behind it before they shot out of the steeple walls in an attempt to skewer Raiu. Despite this, the hybrid managed to squirm his way past them all and slam a foot into the helmet; instead of smashing it into the ground, however, Raiu's momentum kept him going and slamming into the roof of the church, causing several more tiles to fly upwards. The helmet, on the other hand, was now dangling from the spot where it had implanted its tendrils, as if it had been nailed to the spot by...

"That's it!" Tails shouted rather loudly, turning towards Suki. "Can this roof sustain any more strain on it?"

The raccoon blinked, Raiu slowly standing up amidst a faint, wooden groan that caused him to stagger around. "Doesn't sound like it...why?"

"I have a plan," the fox responded with a nod. "But we need a more stable footing...if I carry it out up here then the roof'll collapse!"

Suki gave off a small frown, glancing up at the helmet as it began pulling its tendrils from the ground. "...how much room do you need?"

"Any amount of room," the fox responded, glancing at Suki once more. "An enclosed space would work better, but it'd make this a lot more dangerous."

She nodded slightly, looking down at the roof. "We should be directly above the chapel...will that work?"

"Just fine," Tails responded; as if on cue, the helmet turned towards them with a rather loud hiss, Raiu backing away with widened eyes.

Suki bit her lower lip with a grunt, uttering, "Then follow me. And get that thing to follow us!"

Before any more questions could be asked, Suki slammed a glowing orb into the ground, generating an explosion and sending even more tiles flying outwards. The helmet gave off a distressed hiss and looked away in an attempt to keep the dust away; this, however, enabled Raiu to grab a hold of several of the smaller tendrils, narrowing his gaze. "You're coming with me..."

The demon hissed once again and Raiu dove after Tails and Suki, all three of them now flying right through a hole formed from Suki's attack and landing with a powerful crash in - as Suki had expected - the middle of the chapel. Tails and the raccoon both slowly stood back up with a faint cough, some more loose tiles falling through as Raiu struggled with the demon. Before he could get a safe distance away, the helmet hissed loudly and flung its oversized bladed appendage at Raiu, causing him to yelp loudly as the attack sailed right into his shoulder, blood flying out of it rather profusely. "AGH!"

Tails' eyes widened with a gasp as his demon partner was forced backwards, toppling to a halt in front of them and grasping at his now wide wound; the attack had left his arm almost completely severed, dangling by just a little bit of muscle tissue and skin. Tails grimaced upon glancing at it, Suki's eyes widening. "Is he going to be alright...?"

"He'll be fine, don't worry," Tails responded with a hint of shakiness to his voice, glancing back at the helmet; his gaze began trailing to Raiu's now spilled and splattered blood all over the floor, his gaze narrowing. "...perfect. Keep it distracted, and try to get it to plant as many of its tendrils into the ground as you can."

Suki gave a nod, forming two more orbs in her hands while Tails scooped some of Raiu's pooling blood in his hands, rubbing them together before beginning to trace a small array in the ground in front of him, the glowing purple light now mixing with the demon's blood and causing it to glow with an even more ominous red light. The helmet hissed and sent several tendrils flying towards Suki, the raccoon girl deflecting each attack with an orb of energy that caused it to steadily back away. Tails narrowed his gaze, grunting, "Not too far away, it'll fall out of range..."

The raccoon girl glanced back at Tails, not able to notice the helmet sinking down slightly and planting its tendrils into the ground. The fox's eyes shot open, watching as several purple lines began trailing towards them. "AND NOW!"

Right as the tendrils surfaced around the trio, flying down towards them, Tails slammed both hands into the ground, all of Raiu's spilled blood abruptly glowing brightly and hissing; the array Tails had traced abruptly expanded outwards, connecting with all of the droplets and puddles of his demon's spilled vital fluids to form an even larger array. The purple lines connecting the helmet to its tendrils fizzled and hissed, the demon shrieking in a panic as its tendrils locked up, coming mere inches from impacting the trio. Suki, who had been shrinking back from the oncoming attack, slowly looked up, murmuring with a surprised blink, "What the..."

"I was a little curious at first, but now I understand," Tails murmured, standing up and staring at the helmet, which was now thrashing about madly, its tendrils still seeped within the ground. "Whenever that thing dips its appendages into the ground, it can't move."

The memory of Raiu's flying kick came back to him, Tails now beginning to wear a confident smirk. "It was a long shot, but I noticed that its tendrils can't move either once they've surfaced...that tactic is very useful, but also very risky as it leaves both the controller and its weapons motionless!"

Suki blinked in surprise as Tails motioned to the array at his feet, continuing, "This array is usually used to jam up small ley lines and disrupt the flow of magic to and from a certain area...but it works just as well here to lock up that things appendages and keep it from retracting them!"

"And since it can't move while its appendages are steeped into the ground..." Suki murmured, her eyes widening in realization. "Now it's completely defenseless!"

Tails continued to smirk widely with a small nod, turning towards the lightly whimpering Raiu and causing his smile to fade. He very slowly glanced at Suki, his tone changing to a rather light and pleading one. "I completely understand if you have reserves...but I would be very grateful if you could-"

"Please, it's the least I could do..." Suki murmured, giving a very small smile. "...admittedly, I don't think there's any way I could've won against that thing without your help." She gave a small bow, closing her eyes. "...thank you...I can see what Kedes meant when he said you two were different..."

Tails blinked slightly at Suki, pursing his lips before turning to the pinned down helmet. "Yeah, well...don't think this changes anything, we're still enemies, and the next time we meet...unforeseen circumstances nonwithstanding, I will do everything in my power to defeat you."

"I gotcha," Suki remarked, a small, slightly playful smirk appearing on her muzzle before she inched towards Raiu, her hands glowing in preparation for a mending spell.

As she worked on the demon, Tails began approaching the bound helmet, one of his hands now drenched in dark energy. He narrowed his gaze, the helmet giving off a few more distressed hisses and shrieks. "Now to eliminate you..."

Raiu winced slightly from Suki's work on him, watching Tails through squinted eyes before slowly looking up; his gaze went to the chandelier hanging above, blinking upon noticing some of its sides drooping and bending. The hybrid's eyes slowly widened in horror as Tails thrust his hand forth, shooting a large blast of dark energy towards the bound helmet. "Hah!"

Right as the fox did this, the chandelier dropped down with considerable speed, its flaming candles seemingly morphing into a different shape - more specifically flaming blades - that pointed directly at the warlock. "Look out!"

Tails didn't have enough time to register this, simply blinking as his attack shattered the wooden helmet, sending its pieces scattering everywhere. The tendrils also dissipated seemingly within an instant, enabling Raiu to quickly dive forth, headbutting Tails right in the back and knocking him away from the oncoming chandelier. However, right as he had done this, the lighting fixture came within striking distance, slamming all of the formed blades into Raiu's body with an audibly sickening impact and another large spray of now flaming blood. Tails managed to tilt his head around just in time to witness the attack, his eyes shooting open in horror. "R-...RAIU!"


	21. Resurrection

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 21-Resurrection

Suki's own eyes widened in shock as Tails impacted the ground rather unceremoniously, Raiu's now wide eyes glancing upwards ever so slightly as a rather amgered, metallic roar emanated from the seemingly possessed chandelier. With one powerful flick of its bladed candles, Raiu was engulfed in flames and sent flying into a wall, sliding down it and leaving a rather large smear of still burning blood. Suki could only gawk at the scene before turning to the possessed lighting fixture, growling, "There were TWO here...?"

The chandelier-like demon promptly thrust all of its appendages towards Suki, firing off a large wave of flames that forced the raccoon to leap backwards, expelling a gust of wind that blew away the flames before they could spread much further. The chandelier hissed lightly and began charging towards her once more, now spinning around like a flaming wheel. Suki's eyes widened before she leaped into the air, forming two energy orbs in both hands. "Take this, you overgrown candle!"

A large spray was sent flying towards the demon, a large explosion and strangled hiss emanating from the smoke cloud before Suki landed next to Tails, who retained a horrified expression. She glanced at the fox with a nervous expression, biting her lower lip as Tails' gaze slowly shifted to one of deadly seriousness. The fox slowly staggered back to his feet, arms hanging limply by his side as Suki glanced at him. "What are you...?"

Suddenly, the chandelier demon lunged forth once more from the cloud, hissing maniacally and forcing Suki to whirl around in a panic. Before she could offer a defense, Tails had lifted a hand, his fingers each glowing a deep purple before firing off a rather thin beam of dark energy from each. The resulting attacks promptly severed several of the chandelier demon's appendages, causing it to hiss even louder as the severed limbs shrivelled and vanished in an eerie, purple flame, forcing their former wielder to halt. Suki blinked again and glanced at Tails, who clenched his still glowing fingers together and causing several streams of purple light to emanate from within the fox's enclosed fist. "Kill my partner, will you..."

The chandelier demon began backing away ever so slightly as the air around Tails began getting rather hazy, forcing Suki to quickly back away. The fox narrowed his gaze, his normally bright blue eyes beginning to take on a slightly darker coloration as his bangs began twisting about due to the distorted air. "I'll make sure you don't do anything similar to that again."

With one rather hasty motion, Tails unclenched his fist, suddenly sending a rather large orb of swirling dark energy towards the chandelier, impacting with a large explosion and a nearly ear-splitting hiss, a small gust momentarily threatening to blow Tails and Suki away, several now flaming bits of the demon's body flying past them before disintegrating. Suki slowly stepped towards the smoke cloud, which cleared up enough to show the now crumpled and slowly disintegrating demon. It gave off a faint, broken hiss before the raccoon glanced back at Tails. "I...have to admit, that was ama-"

She trailed off upon noticing Tails approaching the now charred body of his demon partner. The flames had died down, giving them a rather gruesome view into the almost completely disintegrated demon's body, what little skin remaining blackened and the pooled blood sizzling and bubbling. Almost all of the muscle tissue and organs were turned to dust or on the verge of it, and Suki gagged several times upon approaching. She glanced at the oddly unperturbed Tails before murmuring gently, "I'm...I'm so sorry..."

The fox seemed to ignore her comment, instead bending down to the slowly disintegrating corpse and pulling forth the only intact object amidst the gory pile; Raiu's collar, which aside from being covered in ash and blood was completely unharmed. Suki's eyes widened in shock, the raccoon murmuring, "His collar is still in one piece...?"

"You obviously don't know too much about warlock demons, do you?" Tails asked lowly, beginning to walk past her into the middle of the chapel. He placed the collar on the ground before scooping up some of Raiu's earlier spilt blood and drawing another array on the ground around it. Suki slowly approached but decided to stay at a distance in case she got in the way. Finally, the fox stood up and began digging through his robes, continuing in a low voice, "To the most hardened and stoic warlocks, the death of their demon partner means nothing...because on the surface, it literally is nothing to be concerned of."

Suki blinked in surprise as Tails pulled out a small vial filled with an unusual, gray-colored dust. He unscrewed the top and proceeded to fling some of the dust into the array, causing it and Raiu's collar to begin glowing rather brightly. "The greatest perk a sentient warlock demon has over a wild, untamed one...is that should it lose its life in battle, it can be easily resurrected."

The raccoon's eyes widened, partially in shock and partially in realization. "...I remember this lesson now...the High Priest mentioned it. An accessory is kept on or in the demon's person that their soul is stored in, and so long as it survives during combat, a demon can be resurrected at will..."

"Correct," Tails responded with a nod, beginning to kneel next to the array and close his eyes. "...it doesn't mean I like to resort to it any less."

Suki blinked in surprise as the air around them began darkening slightly, the now asbent light from the chandelier and Tails' spell sucking away what light was left in the room behind it. The fox's bangs and namesakes quivered as a light began emanating from the collar and dust, which began swirling around. "It doesn't make the pain from dying any less real to the demon. That kind of pain...having to be put through that more than once in a lifetime...I don't like it."

The crackling intensified, the light in the middle of the array continuing to brighten and increase in size. "Some more 'efficient' warlocks prefer to kill their demons themselves during battle if they end up too injured to fight, as upon resurrection they're in complete working position...I would never resort to something like that," Tails called, forced to speak louder amidst the crackling and humming noise from his array. "I do whatever it is I can to prevent Raiu's death during battle...no matter the cost."

The light finally reached a brightness level that forced Suki to look away, though Tails' wide eyes stared directly into it with a fierce expression. The rather distorted memory of the battle back at the Belltower Atrium came flooding back, which only served to tense Tails' body up further and the light around him to brighten. "I'm not going to allow my friend to go through that kind of agony!"

The light finally began fading with one last powerful crackle, the momentum in the room dying down and enabling Suki to glance back at them. The formerly intangible light had began forming into a more stable shape; that of Raiu, curled up in a ball, his collar being the only article of clothing he wore at the moment. Once the hybrid had revealed himself, Tails abandoned his spot at the array and bent down to Raiu, his serious expression turning nervous. "Raiu, are you alright...?"

The hybrid gave off a small cough in response, his face contorting into a wince before his eyes opened up once again, a few moments passing for the color to fill in. "...mph...yeah..."

Tails gave off a small relieved sigh and pulled the demon into a tight hug, Raiu's eyes shooting open and enabling a rather deep blush to form on his face. "Oh, that's good...that's good..."

Despite the fox not knowing, Suki was able to stare at the demon's rather bashful display completely, her expression one of complete confusion and a little bit of curiosity. Finally, she shook her head around, murmuring, "Unless there's some other demon here we're not seeing...I'd say we're both done here."

Tails glanced back at Suki and let go of Raiu, the demon quickly covering himself up with an even deeper blush. "Yeah," Tails responded with a nod. "We are."

Warlock and priestess shared a rather lengthy period of staring off, Tails getting to his feet. "It was...more enjoyable working with you than I originally thought it would be," Suki rather quickly murmured, nodding.

"I, uh...I agree," Tails added with a small nod. "Maybe...if we meet on the field of battle I'll consider having a shred of mercy."

This caused a cocky smirk to appear on Suki's face, the raccoon chuckling and closing her eyes. "Riiiiiight...same here." With this comment, she turned around, flicking her tail about somewhat suggestively. "Goodbye...Tails, Raiu."

The fox nodded back as a light began emanating from around the Famulus priestess. "...farewell, Suki." Once she had vanished, Tails looked back down at Raiu. "Let's get back to the Academy...and get you a new change of clothes while we're at it."

**-The following day-**

"I must admit, I am very disappointed in you, Kachimi."

Said black-furred fox stared ahead, teeth clenched as his eyes twitched, occasionally darting to his serpent demon next to him. Akumu stared back at him from his usual spot in the Headmaster's quarters with a slightly narrowed gaze, continuing, "You realized why I have called you here, correct...?"

Kachimi only grinded his fangs together, not paying any attention to Rayvar and Kinshou, standing directly behind him while their demons watched from a distance. "Allow me to reiterate, if you please," Kinshou remarked, bowing respectfully.

"You may. After what happened at the slave mines, it seems appropriate," Raibaru suddenly remarked from alongside his warlock master, Kachimi glaring at the red-furred fox with a suppressed growl.

"Thank you," Kinshou murmured, closing his eyes. "Kachimi sent Miles Prower and his demon partner on an assignment that was intended for Kachimi himself; and upon arriving, enslaved a nearby demon in an attempt to potentially kill or otherwise seriously harm him."

"If not for the Famulus that had been in the area, alongside Miles'...admittedly worrisome disregard for our standing with them, he would most likely have been killed," Akumu finished, his voice seemingly becoming a bit more powerful. "Unlike what occured at the slave mines, however, there is no deed you have committed afterwards to balance out your misdemeanor."

Raibaru closed his eyes with a small sigh and shrug, picking off where Akumu left off. "However...Prower's lack of substantial injuries and the loosened rules regarding the Nitefall Ceremony are on your side and preventing any other major punishment from being given to you. Consider yourself lucky."

"I will," Kachimi uttered with a slight growl, closing his eyes in submission.

"On top of this, your bumbling has actually open a rather interesting situation," Akumu continued, nonchalantly moving a hand about. "Miles was able to dispel of a prefect-level demon with great ease, Famulus interference or not. This is a good sign that his skills are improving even faster. It is this ALONE that allows me to let you off the hook with little more than a warning."

Kachimi did not give a response, instead reopening his eyes with clenched fists. Akumu ignored the dark fox's silence and glanced at Rayvar and Kinshou. "It is because of this that I believe we can send our little sacrifice on a more...difficult mission."

"What did you have in mind, sir?" Lorak asked from behind Rayvar, the muscular wolf beginning to give a small smile.

"I am glad that you asked," he murmured, stepping to the side and motioning to the mirror behind him. The image of a rather large-looking town comprised of white buildings and walls were portrayed, some familiar garbed soldiers patrolling in and out. "This is Shiro Village. Formerly the most prominent Famulus settlement in the Hellfields. However, its state has been in steady decline in the past few years; it is time we removed this blemish from our land."

Kachimi gave a small blink and looked up in surprise. "...sir, with all due respect, this seems like more than Miles alone would be able to handle. Aren't you going to send someone to oversee his progress and help?"

"Of course I am," Akumu responded, glancing at the dark fox with a serious expression. "If your intention was to accompany him then you are sorely mistaken. As this is your second attempt on Miles' life I will not have you accompanying him on any missions until the end of the Nitefall Ceremony, and your interaction with him shall be at a bare minimum."

Kachimi grunted lightly and hung his head once more, Akumu slowly glancing at Kinshou. "Kinshou, as you have shown rather admirable initiative in aiding Prower's development, you will accompany him to attack Shiro Village."

"Yaaaaaay!" Milio called out rather happily, bouncing up while Kentan gave a smile in approval.

"Thank you, sir," Kinshou responded with a small nod. "However, I believe that the two of us are still unsuitable for attacking the Famulus base on our lonesome. If it is alright with you, I know of one other warlock that Miles has an extensive history with that I would like to bring along on our mission."

Kachimi cast Kinshou another rather antagonistic glare, grunting slightly as Akumu nodded in approval. "It is that type of reasoning that I admire out of you, Kinshou. Permission granted. You will leave in one hour. Gather your team and equipment and prepare to head out."

**-Meanwhile-**

Tails kept his head low to the table, his gaze narrowed thoughtfully with a faint hum. Directly across from him sat Lyla, mimicking his exact motions and position, though her nose gave an occasional twitch. Raiu - now having adorned a copy of his original shorts - and Sabishii sat on the other side of the table and watched with curious expressions, though their eyes were not so much fixed on the intently staring duo, but moreso the small black board in front of them, a large array of white lines crisscrossing it all around. Several black and purple beads decorated it in various areas and seem to quiver ever so slightly every few moments.

Before the group could do anything else, one of the purple beads promptly moved across one of the lines and knocked away the black bead in its path; the purple ones now glowed brightly and caused an array to appear amidst the web of lines, causing a smirk to carve its way onto Tails' lips and for him and Lyla to lean back in their chairs, the cat wearing a defeated expression. "Yes!"

"Gah...fourth time in a row," Lyla murmured, glancing at Tails slightly. "And yet I'm the best at arrays in our class."

Tails gave a small shrug and folded his arms behind his head nonchalantly. "Aahh, this exercise isn't COMPLETELY about arrays, it's also a bit about strategy you know."

"Which I am just as capable of as you are," Lyla shot back with a somewhat childish pout, Tails smiling slightly.

"Hey, it's just this game in particular," he replied with a small shrug. "We all know I used to play it a lot when I was younger with..."

Tails trailed off, moving one hand about as if waiting for someone to finish the comment. Though Lyla nodded in unspoken agreement, Sabishii glanced at Raiu blankly. "...with who?"

"His older brother," the demon murmured softly, glancing down at his lap. "He went to the Academy too, of course..."

"But he disappeared not a single day before our father was found dead," Tails suddenly added, glancing at Sabishii with a serious expression. "Everyone says it was desertion...primarily because he used to be a little bit of a rebel."

Sabishii gave a small blink as Lyla finished, "The most morbid rumors state that he might have been involved with the murdering of Amadeus, but it's never been proven. All evidence we do have implies he was taken down by Famulus."

Raiu glanced at Tails with a worried expression, the fox folding his arms with a nod. "I try not to let it get to me...sure, I miss having him around, and I'd really like to find out what happened to him, but..."

"You've got bigger fish to fry," Lyla finished, Tails giving a nod back in confirmation.

"Maybe when I have more time and power on my hands I can dedicate more time to actually finding out what heppened to him, but until then..." The fox went to say something more, but was interrupted by slowly glancing up with a surprised blink. Lyla followed his gaze, now finding the ever familiar face of Milio staring down at her with a dopey expression. "...uh."

"Hi guys!" the enormous otter remarked, bouncing up and down excitedly and causing his bulbous middle to bounce about energetically. The others simply watched him move up and down, their heads bobbing with each motion before Tails spoke.

"Hey Milio...what are you doing here?" the fox asked, finally stopping the motion of his head. "Shouldn't you be with Kinshou?"

"He is." The prefect's voice caused Tails to yelp and quickly whirl around, disturbing the game pieces on the board they had just been playing with. As expected, Kinshou and Kentan stood behind them, the vulpine's arms folded. "Miles, Lyla, I'm pleased to let you know that the both of you will be accompanying me on a rather important mission."

The foursome's eyes widened in shock, Raiu murmuring, "R-really...?"

"What kind of mission?" Sabishii asked in curiosity, tilting his head to one side.

Kinshou turned around, motioning for the foursome to follow. After cleaning up the disrupted game pieces, Tails, Raiu, Lyla, and Sabishii began following the prefect and his demons through the hall. "We are going to attack Shiro Village."

Tails and Lyla's eyes visibly widened. "But...that's the largest Famulus foothold in the Hellfields!" the fox exclaimed in shock.

Kinshou nodded in confirmation, Lyla continuing the expression of disbelief. "And...the Headmaster is sending us to destroy it? Like, just US?"

"Yes, just us," Kinshou replied, glancing at the both of them with a serious expression. "As you can expect, such a large victory will catapult your way up the rankings for the Nitefall Ceremony. But there is, of course, just as large of a mortality risk of going into such a heavily infested area."

Raiu and Sabishii exchanged a rather nervous glance, Tails and Lyla nodding in response. "We understand, but..." Lyla furrowed her brow. "Why just us? This sounds like a job for more than the seven of us."

"The Headmaster is obviously rather confident in your abilities," Kinshou replied, turning back around. "You both have been performing exceptionally well."

This comment seemed to strike a chord with Tails, who furrowed his brow in curiosity. "...why do I not believe that...?" Kinshou stopped, glancing at the smaller fox out of the side of his eye and causing everyone to halt. "The Belltower Atrium, the Mancer Core, the Aquilus Atrium...I've been doing everything BUT well. Sure I brought in those two Suuhai warlocks, managed to fend off that Zealot, and took down that rogue demon yesterday, but I had help every time that I would have been dead without!"

A few rather tense moments followed, Lyla glancing at Kinshou with a newly curious and slightly worried expression. After shifting about the glasses on his face once more, Kinshou turned back around. "I wouldn't go against the Headmaster's word if I were you, regardless of whatever logistics you may have behind you. Now come on, we can't dawdle much longer."

The fox began walking off once more, Tails pursing his lips and earning a worried expression from Raiu. "Something's not right..." he uttered lightly, sighing before walking after Kinshou, the other three quickly trotting along after them.


	22. Shiro Village

Diabolus Vulpes

Chapter 22-Shiro Village

Settlements in the Hellfields, whether they were affiliated with Pravus or not, were spread thin. Not much could survive in the desolate wasteland; plants struggled to grow and livestock fell easily to the harsh surroundings. Hunting was near impossible, as what animals could survive in the unforgiving climate had been tainted by the demonic energies running rampant, and as such their meat was inedible. Most Famulus settlements failed to flourish because of these factors...but there was a single exception.

Shiro Village was the Famulus's most successful attempt at holding land in the Hellfields so far. It stuck out very plainly from the gray, dead landscape, its enormous white walls standing high against the dark sky. Inside, several guard towers were set up, standing watch over the smaller houses and buildings where citizens went to and from their business. At each corner of the settlement, however, were three especially large towers that gently pulsated with light; the core of Shiro Village's defenses, helping ward off the demonic outside influences.

Curiously, down in the village, silence reigned and there was very little motion. No citizens seemed to be outside; it was as if the entire area had become a ghost town. Despite this, guards still stood at their perimeters, vigilantly on the lookout for any suspicious activity. Doors and gates were locked tightly, laced with various protective runes; all of these factors seemed to drive a single point home. The Famulus were on high alert.

"All of the citizens have evacuated...?"

"Yes, High Priest."

"Defenses are at maximum efficiency...?"

"Yes, High Priest."

"Guards are all at their stations...?"

"Yes, High Priest."

"Good...we are ready." At the top of one of the three glowing towers, in a large, blank room stood three familiar figures; a red, female fox, a lithe, male bat, and a short, female raccoon, all wearing the white-colored robes of the Famulus. The source of the rather droning, blank voice was a large orb set up on one of the walls, pulsating with each word said and humming gently otherwise; a pair of deep purple eyes emanated from it, narrowed in what could have been identified as boredom to match the tone of voice. "The Pravus warlocks have almost arrived as well..."

The male bat began to smirk slightly and chuckled, looking down with folded arms. "They won't even know that we've prepared for their arrival...Akumu has severely underestimated us, unfortunately for him."

"That is no excuse to sacrifice any vigilance," the voice replied. "Pravus is still dangerous...remember that."

The bat began to frown slightly and looked down with a light sigh, interrupted when the raccoon girl began to approach, clearing her throat. "Um...High Priest? If I may inquire?"

"You may," the voice replied, the taller vixen and bat glancing down at their subordinate.

"Why are we the ones in charge of defending Shiro Village?" she asked, folding her arms behind her in thought. "I mean, something like this would be a job better suited for the Zealot Division..."

A few moments passed in silence and all three figures glanced up at the orb, which had fallen silent. "...it is quite simple, really...you all have had a noteworthy experience with our target."

The raccoon pursed her lips slightly and looked down, the vixen narrowing her gaze slightly. "Do not worry, High Priest. We are aware of the importance of this attack, and will do our best to play the part."

"Thank you, Priestess Kokira...Priest Kedes, Priestess Suki. I expect a satisfactory report by the end of this assault. Am I clear?"

All three bowed respectfully, eyes closing. "Yes sir, High Priest Densche..."

With this comment, the orb ceased glowing, and all three figures glanced at each other, a serious expression on their faces. "Alright you two, head to your posts. The Pravus warlocks should be arriving at any moment."

Suki and Kedes both obeyed, turning around. The former promptly vanished in a collapsing bubble of wind while the latter extended his wings, diving out of the nearby window and leaving Kokira to glance back at the gem, arms folded. "I will not let you down..."

Outside of the fortress-like town, a flash of purple light emanated from nowhere, right behind a nearby outcropping and obscuring the arrival of Tails and the others. "Alright, we're here," Kinshou murmured, glancing at the others behind him. "It's time to plot."

"It's obvious what we need to do," Lyla remarked, beginning to grin and fold her arms together, cocking her hip to the side. "This may be the Famulus's biggest stronghold in the Hellfields, but that's also given us lots of time to study it..."

Kinshou nodded slightly, Tails stepping forth and clearing his throat. "Shiro Village is protected by a barrier of holy energy, conjured via three conduits set up across the town. Take down at least two of them, and the barrier will be weak enough to take out with brute force."

"Or at the very least be eroded away by the Hellfields' oppressive climate," Kinshou added, narrowing his gaze and peering across the wall they were hiding behind; a large gate was set up nearby, two robe-weaing guards standing watch, spears in hand. "Unfortunately for them...the barrier doesn't cover the walls. All we have to do is get in through one of the gates, and we can wreak havoc from the inside."

"So how do we go about getting in?" Sabishii asked, tilting his head to one side and leaning towards Kinshou, tail tips gently maneuvering around the fox's body. "You have a plan?"

"If you will stop doing that and give me a moment to explain, yes," the fox replied, a vein discreetly popping my head and forcing Sabishii to recoil his appendages. "Now, we-"

"HEEEEEEEEEEEY!" All of the warlocks blinked and looked up in shock upon noticing Milio currently bouncing towards the gate, both guards looking up with a surprised expression.

"What is he...?" Raiu squeaked, gawking with an open jaw while Lyla rubbed her eyes in annoyance.

"Me an' my friends wanna get in!" the otter shouted, continuing to hop towards the guards and smiling goofily. "Can you let us?"

Kinshou groaned in annoyance and hung his head, Kentan ducking down slightly and murmuring, "If we couldn't reincarnate, he've died for good a long time ago..."

"Best make use of this," Lyla uttered, stealthily doodling an array on the ground and planting her arm onto it. "Go!"

Raiu and Kentan promptly hopped onto the mark, which collapsed underneath them in a puff of smoke and caused the duo to disappear. While Milio advanced towards the guards, they slowly backed up into the gate, one mumbling blankly, "What in the name of Grandia...what is that thing?"

"It's a demon!" the other replied, both guards' speards beginning to glow brightly. "Quick! Make sure it doesn't-"

The guard didn't get to finish his comment as the ground in front of them abruptly exploded, sending dirt flying upwards and prompting Milio to tilt his head back with a blank stare. "Ooohhh..."

From the top of the dirt geyser, Raiu shot out, curled up and flipping several times in midair, appearing as little more than a blur. "It has allies!" one of the guards shouted, winding up his spear and preparing to hurl it at Raiu. Before he could, however, an arm lunged forth from the cloud and grabbed the weapon, prompting both guards to glance towards the source. "What?"

"Sorry," Kentan's voice echoed out, the oversized cat yanking the spear away and using it to slice the bladed head off of the other guard's weapon, tossing the spear away afterwards. Both guards stared in shock as the round demon glanced back down at them, frowning slightly. "You two probably shouldn't be paying attention to me."

Before either one could register this comment, Raiu came shooting back down, slamming a foot onto one of the guards' heads and slamming them face-first into the ground with a loud crack, the other glancing back around with a mortified expression. "No!" One of the guards' arms began to glow and he wound it up towards Raiu, grunting, "Your kind shall not-"

He didn't get to finish his comment as a large pink tendril smacked into his body, pinning him against the gate walls before being reeled in. The source, the tongue in Milio's mouth, slurped up the guard and within moments had him disappearing within the demon's gullet, Milio smiling dopily and licking his lips over. "Yummy!"

"Well that went better than expected," Kinshou remarked, the other four approaching from behind. Kentan, Milio, and Raiu all stepped aside as the warlocks looked up at the gate, stepping over the bloody-headed guard and scanning over the gently glowing wall. "Of course...it's protected by a holy rune."

The fox turned towards Tails and Lyla, beginning to flex his arms. "We're not going to be able to plant a disarming array on it, from the looks of it...fortunately, we won't have to."

"So you DO have a plan," Sabishii remarked, leaning forth with a shy grin. "Thought as much..."

"Lyla, set up the marking we'd normally use for a situation like this on the ground right here," Kinshou commanded, the cat girl nodding and diligently getting to work on her mark. "Once she's done, Tails, I'm going to need you to filter the effects of the curse using your body as a conduit into my body. I'll focus it into a spell that we can use to dispel the protective rune thorugh brute force."

Tails couldn't help but blink in surprise, pursing his lips. "That, uh...you're sure that-"

"Although your previous attempts at doing such a thing...the Aquilus Atrium, the Mancer Core, the Belltower Atrium...didn't end well per se, it is still an area you excel in moreso than either of us," Kinshou replied, motioning a palm towards the door.

The younger fox, on the other hand, drooped his gaze with an unimpressed stare, as if expecting more from Kinshou. Getting the hint, the taller glanced back at him and added, "...that and Lyla's skill surpasses yours where curse marks are concerned, and I am better at converting raw energy for offensive purposes."

"Thought so," Tails mumbled with a sigh, resting a hand on Lyla's head as she bent down on her mark. The array began glowing rather brightly, followed by a faint trail of energy wisping around Tails' arms and causing him to wince, his namesakes standing on end. Kinshou finished by grasping Tails' other arm, his outstretched palm beginning to glow rather brightly. The other demons shrunk back expectantly as a loud hum was heard, followed by a blast of purple energy being expelled from Kinshou's hand and slamming into the door. The glow emanating from it was shattered and flaked off, removing the array entirely and enabling Lyla and Tails to stand up. "Did that do it?"

Kinshou responded by snapping his fingers, prompting Kentan to approach. The bloated feline extended somewhat short claws from his hands and bent down, digging the claws into the ground and beginning to lift up with a slight huff and groan, wincing with a tremble as the wall began to lift up slowly. "That's it, that's it..." Kinshou murmured, nodding gently as the lower portion became large enough for the smaller warlocks, Raiu, and Sabishii to slide through. "Alright, your turn."

With a loud grunt, Kentan took a breath and flung the wall up, managing to get it high enough into the air that he could drag himself and Milio through, both flopping unceremoniously to the ground with a light cough, slowly glancing up. "B-beh...got it..."

Kinshou nodded as the large duo staggered back to their feet, the entire group turning around to peer at their surroundings. "This is it, huh...?"

Shiro Village looked fairly different from the Hellfields in more than just its architecture. The ground was a more normal-colored shade of brown as opposed to the withered gray outside, and some patches of grass had began to grow in particular areas. Somewhat small, young-looking trees and bushes were scattered about in the fenced in grass areas, a few bearing fruit or flowers. "Shiro Village...it certainly looks...bright," Lyla commented, Raiu bending down towards a nearby spot of grass and planting his paws into it, inciting a blink and wide-eyed expression from the demon.

"It's so...soft and warm..." the hybrid mumbled lightly, Tails bending down next to him and glancing at Raiu.

"That's grass, Raiu," the vulpine replied. His demon partner blinked in shock and looked back at him, leaning forth slightly.

"But...grass in the Hellfields doesn't normally look like this...it's more...dried up, it doesn't have any color at all...this is plush, and green..."

Kinshou cleared his throat at this, prompting the others to look back at him. "The Famulus is undoubtedly attempting to recreate the climate in Sanctimonia...their first step in purifying the Hellfields would be to restore the life to its ecosystem. From there, it'd be so much easier..."

"Basically, this is how stuff grows on their side of the world," Tails finished, standing back up. Raiu looked back down at the splotch of grass, his eyes and ears drooping slightly in thought. He gave off a wistful sigh before standing up, his vulpine partner glancing around at the sky. "I can see the towers from here..."

"We should split up," Kinshou remarked, nodding. "I'll take the one furthest from this entrance...Tails, you deal with the one to the north, Lyla, take the one to the south."

All members of the group gave off a unanimous nod and began to walk off, leaving the gate they had entered in alone...had it not been for a single dagger currently wedged underneath it, preventing the wall from closing entirely. Once the entire group had dispersed, a faint red glow and several rather gory sounding squelches were heard from behind it, a purple mist emanating from below that began causing the wall to slowly lift back up. "Aahh, gotta thank those guys...we've been staking this place out for days and haven't gotten a way inside...until now."

On the other side of the wall was a brown-furred otter, with shaggy brown hair on his head and a black jumpsuit, a red stripe running down it. He grinned widely and looked behind him out of the side of his eye, grunting, "Hurry up Keiteki, the door's open."

This comment was met with a muffled response and a noisy gulp, another figure stepping behind the otter. It was a fairly tall, blue-skinned, wingless dragonness wearing a similarly colored jumpsuit, though it was currently coated with blood, the same vital fluid dripping from the reptile's claws and jaws. She began to rather noisily slurp the blood from hew claws and mouth, mumbling flatly, "They just left him there, ripe for the picking...stupid Pravus warlocks, wasting a perfectly good meal."

She began to snicker lightly, her rather long, thick tail swishing about and upsetting the large puddle of blood and tattered robes behind her, where the fallen Famulus guard that Raiu had taken down previously lay. The otter chuckled lightly and turned to face her, arms resting on his hips. "Come on, Keiteki, you greedy lizard...don't act like you aren't thankful."

"I suppose I am," Keiteki mumbled, slurping her lips over once more with a wide, blood-stained grin. "It'll help tide me over before our rampage starts." The otter chuckled again and turned back around, both stepping in and closing the gate behind them with a loud thud. "Unless we're headed right for the towers and I don't get any fun beforehand...you can be a killjoy like that sometimes, Abe."

"Don't worry," the otter, Abe, replied, chuckling once more and looking towards the nearest tower; the one Tails had rushed off to. "We'll whittle away some time and let the Pravus fools weaken the enemy's defenses...and then we shall swoop in and take this blasted collection of rocks for the Suuhai..."


End file.
